title: [Health effects of interventions to promote physical activity in survivors of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. A longitudinal study].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Interventions that promote physical activity to prevent psychological distress and disuse syndromes were carried out in disaster-stricken areas. However, the effect of these interventions to promote physical activity in disaster-stricken areas has not yet been fully clarified. The purpose of this study was to examine the health effects of promoting physical activity in a disaster-stricken area.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted an exercise intervention as part of a health survey project among residents of Ishinomaki-city, Miyagi, Japan in 2012. To determine if changes in health condition differed between intervention participants and nonparticipants, health condition data from 81 participants were compared with data from 81 nonparticipants selected by propensity score matching. Factors including sex, age, original address (pre-quake), and six outcome variables (psychological distress [K6 score], subjective health status, sleep duration, sleep quality, frequency of outings, and time spent walking) were used for matching. A linear mixed model was used for statistical analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no significant differences in K6 score between participants and nonparticipants (P=0.913). Significant improvements were observed in subjective health status (P=0.011) and outing frequency (P=0.002), but not in other outcome variables.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Subjective health status and outing frequency were significantly improved among participants of the exercise intervention. Exercise intervention may be an effective public health strategy in disaster-stricken areas.
authors: Division of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health and Forensic Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine.
authors: Yasutake
authors: Y
authors: Tomata
authors: Noriko
authors: N
authors: Sato
authors: Mana
authors: M
authors: Kogure
authors: Syoko
authors: S
authors: Suto
authors: Yuki
authors: Y
authors: Imai
authors: Hitomi
authors: H
authors: Aoki
authors: Kemmyo
authors: K
authors: Sugiyama
authors: Reiko
authors: R
authors: Suzuki
authors: Yumi
authors: Y
authors: Sugawara
authors: Takashi
authors: T
authors: Watanabe
authors: Ryoichi
authors: R
authors: Nagatomi
authors: Ichiro
authors: I
authors: Tsuji
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D055866:Earthquakes; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D012890:Sleep; D013315:Stress, Psychological