Associations Of Disaster-Related And Psychosocial Factors With Changes In Smoking Status After A Disaster: A Cross-Sectional Survey After The Great Fast Japan Earthquake

Objective Few studies have comprehensively examined changes in smoking status and related factors after a disaster. We examined these factors among residents of an evacuation area in Fukushima after the Great East Japan Earthquake.Methods The study participants included 58 755 men and women aged '.20 years who participated in the Fukushima Health Management Survey in 2012 after the disaster. Smoking status was classified as either current smokers or current non-smokers before and after the disaster. The participants were divided into the following groups: (1) non-smokers both before and after the disaster, (2) non-smokers before and smokers after the disaster, (3) smokers before and non-smokers after the disaster and (4) smokers both before and after the disaster. The adjusted prevalence ratios and 95% Cls of changes in smoking status for demographic, disaster related and psychosocial factors were tested using logistic regression analysis that was stratified by smoking status before the disaster.Results Among the 44 729 participants, who were nonsmokers before the disaster, 634 (1.4%) began smoking after the disaster. Among the 14 025 smokers before the disaster, 1564 (11.1%) quit smoking after the disaster, and the proportion of smokers in the evacuation area consequently decreased from 21.2% to 19.6%. In the multivariable model, factors significantly associated with beginning smoking included being a male, being younger, having a lower education, staying in a rental house/ apartment, house being damaged, having experienced a tsunami, change jobs and the presence of traumatic symptoms and non-specific psychological distress. On the contrary, factors associated with quitting smoking included being a female, being older, having a higher education and having a stable income.Conclusion The proportion of smokers slightly decreased among residents in the evacuation area. The changes in smoking statuses were associated with disaster associated psychosocial factors, particularly changes in living conditions, having experienced a tsunami, change jobs and developing post-traumatic stress disorder.