(P2-49) Longitudinal Study of Health Conditions After the Sichuan Earthquake in China - The First and Second Year's Results

Abstract

Objective

The objective of this study was to identify the daily lives and health conditions of survivors of the Sichuan Earthquake after two years.

Methods

The study was conducted for the survivors ≥ 18 years of age who experienced the earthquake. The questionnaire included the survivors' socio-demographics, impact of the disaster, and their health status after the disaster.

Results

Approximately 65% of respondents said that their conditions were healthy in the second year after the earthquake. The changes of daily lives among the survivors were increased from 1st year to 2nd year, as follows: diet (1st year; 24.5%–2nd year; 14.1%), sleep (29.4%–23.6%), entertainments (9.6%–15.1%). As health conditions, the following symptoms were increased; diabetes (2.8%–3.5%), cardiac disease (2.9%–5.0%), functional disturbances of body's joints and muscles (18%–21%). In contrast, the following symptoms were decreased; obesity/skinny (5%–3.5%), kidney disease (4.4%–1.6%), asthma and allergy (7.2%–5.6%). The current health conditions of the survivors included: headache, eyestrain, hand, foot, and/or joint's ache, sleep disorder. With regard to the psychological condition, the mean value of IES-R score was 22.2 ± 11.8. Compared with the 1st year results, the mean value IES-R score significantly decreased (1st year; 30.8 ± 16.8, p < 0.001, by paired t-test).

Conclusions

The survivors' physical and psychological conditions have improved compared to 1st year results. However most of the survivors still had some health problems in their health.