Association between Laughter and Lifestyle Diseases after the Great East Japan Earthquake: The Fukushima Health Management Survey

Eri Eguchi, Tetsuya Ohira, Hironori Nakano, Fumikazu Hayashi, Kanako Okazaki, Mayumi Harigane, Narumi Funakubo, Atsushi Takahashi, Kanae Takase, Masaharu Maeda, Seiji Yasumura, Hirooki Yabe, Kenji Kamiya and on behalf of the Fukushima Health Management Survey Group
Additional contact information
Eri Eguchi: Department of Epidemiology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
Tetsuya Ohira: Department of Epidemiology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
Hironori Nakano: Department of Epidemiology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
Fumikazu Hayashi: Department of Epidemiology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
Kanako Okazaki: Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
Mayumi Harigane: Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
Narumi Funakubo: Department of Epidemiology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
Atsushi Takahashi: Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
Kanae Takase: Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
Masaharu Maeda: Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
Seiji Yasumura: Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
Hirooki Yabe: Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
Kenji Kamiya: Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
on behalf of the Fukushima Health Management Survey Group: Information is provided in the Acknowledgments.

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 23, 1-12

Abstract: We investigated the association between the frequency of laughter and lifestyle diseases after the Great East Japan Earthquake. We included 41,432 participants aged 30–89 years in the Fukushima Health Management Survey in fiscal year 2012 and 2013. Gender-specific, age-adjusted and multivariable odds ratios of lifestyle diseases were calculated using logistic regressions stratified by evacuation status. Those who laugh every day had significantly lower multivariable odds ratios for hypertension (HT), diabetes mellitus (DM) and heart disease (HD) for men, and HT and dyslipidemia (DL) for women compared to those who do not, especially in male evacuees. The multivariable odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of HT, DM and HD (non-evacuees vs. evacuees) for men were 1.00 (0.89–1.11) vs. 0.85 (0.74–0.96), 0.90 (0.77–1.05) vs. 0.77 (0.64–0.91) and 0.92 (0.76–1.11) vs. 0.79 (0.63–0.99), and HT and DL for women were 0.90 (0.81–1.00) vs. 0.88 (0.78–0.99) and 0.80 (0.70–0.92) vs. 0.72 (0.62–0.83), respectively. The daily frequency of laughter was associated with a lower prevalence of lifestyle disease, especially in evacuees.

Keywords: laughter; disaster; Great East Japan Earthquake; lifestyle diseases; cardiovascular diseases; evacuation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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