Citation

Hikichi H, Aida J, Kondo K, Kawachi I. Alzheimers Dement. 2019; 15(8): 1009-1018.

Affiliation

Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Alzheimer's Association, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jalz.2019.04.016

PMID

31378573

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: We previously established that housing loss and residential dislocation in the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami was a risk factor for cognitive decline among older survivors. The present study extends the follow-up of survivors out to 6 years.

METHODS: The baseline for our natural experiment was established in a survey of older community-dwelling adults who lived 80 km west of the epicenter 7 months before the earthquake and tsunami. Two follow-up surveys were conducted approximately 2.5 years and 5.5 years after the disaster to ascertain the housing status and cognitive decline from 2810 older individuals (follow-up rate through three surveys: 68.4%).

RESULTS: The experience of housing loss was persistently associated with cognitive disability (coefficient = 0.14, 95% confidence interval: 0.04 to 0.23).

DISCUSSION: Experiences of housing loss continued to be significantly associated with cognitive disability even six years after the disaster.

Copyright © 2019 the Alzheimer's Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Cognitive decline; Japan; Natural disaster; Natural experiment; Panel data