Factors associated with earthquake deaths in the great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake, 1995.
The authors conducted descriptive and case-control studies to find factors associated with earthquake deaths due to the Great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake on January 17, 1995, in Nishinomiya, Japan. In the case-control study, cases included all 1,104 deaths. Controls were randomly selected from survivors. Earthquake mortality increased for people over age 50 years. Mortality among people who had lived in dwellings that were completely destroyed was much higher. One risk factor was physical disabilities (odds ratio = 1.9, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.0, 3.4). When the analysis was limited to the people who had lived in intact or partially destroyed dwellings, the odds ratio rose to 5.6 (95% CI: 1.6, 19.8).
Osaki
Y
Y
Department of Epidemiology, National Institute of Public Health, Tokyo, Japan. yoneatsu@grape.med.tottori-u.ac.jp
Minowa
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004190:Disasters / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006798:Housing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D017741:Survivors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014504:Urban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data