Risk Perception in Long-term Evacuees of Futaba Town, Fukushima: A Cross-Sectional Study Reveals Greater Concerns Outside the Prefecture, 12 Years after the Accident.

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22K21118
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 0908:Society medicine, nursing, and related fields
• Research Institution: Nagasaki University
• Principal Investigator: Xiao Xu 長崎大学, 原爆後障害医療研究所, 助教 (00960890)
• Project Period (FY): 2022-08-31 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 福島第一原発事故 / 長期避難 / リスク認知 / リスクコミュニケーション / 避難先 / 災害後の復旧

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Twelve years after the Fukushima nuclear accident, anxiety about nuclear radiation persists among evacuees in Futaba town. As the only town with government functions relocated outside Fukushima Prefecture, more residents have evacuated outside the prefecture. Although various factors affect risk perception, the impact of evacuation destination remains unknown. In 2022, a survey was conducted among 404 evacuees aged > 18 years, revealing significant relationships between evacuation destination and risk perception of genetic effects in the next generation (OR = 1.92, 95%CI: 1.15-3.20) and health effects of radiation (OR = 1.76, 95%CI: 1.10-2.84), which were higher among those who had evacuated outside Fukushima. These findings emphasize the importance of evacuation destination choice and information access for evacuees' risk perception. Enhanced education efforts are necessary to help evacuees not only in Fukushima but also throughout Japan.

Free Research Field

公衆衛生学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

この結果から、放射線被ばくによる健康、遺伝的リスク、トリチウム水の安全性に対する懸念は、福島県内外の避難者の間で持続しており、災害後の回復における継続的な課題を反映している。福島県外に居住する一部の避難者は放射線リスクに対する懸念が高く、放射線に関する教育の必要性が福島県内に留まらず、県外や日本全国に及ぶことを示唆している。これらの知見は、災害後の回復プロセスにおける課題と対策の検討に寄与する。