| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
MATSUBARA Shinichi Nagasaki Univ. Dept. of Education, Associate Prof., 教育学部, 助教授 (30165857)
MIYAIRI Koichi Nagasaki Univ. Junior college of Commerce, Professor., 商科短期大学部, 教授 (40136693)
NISHIHARA Jun Nagasaki Univ. Dept. of Education, Associate Prof., 教育学部, 助教授 (30136626)
YAMAMOTO Yuji Kassui Womens' Univ. Dept. of Literature, Associate Prof., 文学部, 助教授 (50114806)
MORIYAMA Masaki Nagasaki Univ. School of Med. Associate Prof., 医学部, 助教授 (10145229)
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| Research Abstract |
The health and behavior of the local population on Takashima island of Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, where a rapid population decrease is being experienced as a result of the shut down of the major industry, coal mining, was examined by survey methods. Questionnaires were mailed of heads of all 2089 households in February 1987, three months after the shut sown of the mine. One hundred and fifteen households had already moved away from Talashima, and among the remaining 1974 households, there were 726 (36.8%) returned questionnaires. Variables studied were 1) age, sex, and occupation, 2) intention to relocate (move away/remain in Takashima), 3) general health during the preceding year, 4) utilization of hospitals or participation in health examinations, 5) anxiety about the changing environmental and health status in the future.
Results: 1) Subjects were classified into two subgroups of age (-55, 56+ years), and socio-economic class based on the former occupational status in the mine (regu
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lar mine worker, subcontract mine worker, other). Those who were of the 56+ years subgroup and/or subcontact workers showed a higher percentage of intention to remain in Takashima in comparison to other subgroups. 2) As a means of determining future health status trends in Takashima consequent to the rapid decrease of its population, health status characteristics of the two subgroups (age 56+ years and subcontract workers) were further examined. In both subgroups, relatively high percentages of subjects expressed anxiety about their future health status. Overall health of subjects age 56+ years during the preceding year was especially poor. In subcontract workers, despite expressing strong anxiety regarding their health, only a small percentage of them actually participated or planned to participate in health examination in the community.
The improvement of the health level in this community following the ongoing population decrease requires motivation of those community members who remain to adopt and maintain healthy life styles. For this purpose, continual real time monitoring of environmental and health status synchronously with the population decrease, is necessary in this community. Less
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