Association between Social Isolation and Total Mortality after the Great East Japan Earthquake in Iwate Prefecture: Findings from the TMM CommCohort Study

Yuka Kotozaki, Kozo Tanno, Kiyomi Sakata, Kotaro Otsuka, Ryohei Sasaki, Nobuyuki Takanashi, Mamoru Satoh, Atsushi Shimizu and Makoto Sasaki
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Yuka Kotozaki: Iwate Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Iwate Medical University, Morioka 028-3694, Iwate, Japan
Kozo Tanno: Iwate Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Iwate Medical University, Morioka 028-3694, Iwate, Japan
Kiyomi Sakata: Iwate Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Iwate Medical University, Morioka 028-3694, Iwate, Japan
Kotaro Otsuka: Iwate Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Iwate Medical University, Morioka 028-3694, Iwate, Japan
Ryohei Sasaki: Division of Physical Education, Department of Human Sciences, Center for Liberal Arts and Sciences, Iwate Medical University, Morioka 028-3694, Iwate, Japan
Nobuyuki Takanashi: Iwate Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Iwate Medical University, Morioka 028-3694, Iwate, Japan
Mamoru Satoh: Iwate Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Iwate Medical University, Morioka 028-3694, Iwate, Japan
Atsushi Shimizu: Iwate Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Iwate Medical University, Morioka 028-3694, Iwate, Japan
Makoto Sasaki: Iwate Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Iwate Medical University, Morioka 028-3694, Iwate, Japan

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 7, 1-11

Abstract: This study aimed to investigate whether social isolation is associated with mortality, together with the effect of the Great East Japan Earthquake on mortality, due to the social isolation of community residents living in the affected areas, using data from the Tohoku Medical Megabank Project Community-Based Cohort Study. A total of 22,933 participants (8059 men and 14,874 women), who were free from cancer and cardiovascular disease, were followed up with death as an endpoint for five years. Social isolation was assessed using the Lubben Social Network Scale (cut-off, 11/12). Using Cox proportional hazards models, hazard ratios (HRs) of total mortality and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) associated with social isolation (no isolation as the reference) were estimated. The latter was significantly associated with an increased risk of total mortality (1.38 (1.04–1.83) in men and 1.49 (1.02–2.19) in women). Moreover, among those with social isolation, the risk of mortality was significantly higher, especially for women with house damage and men who had experienced a death in the family. The disaster may have raised the risk of mortality due to social isolation.

Keywords: social isolation; mortality; cohort study; the Great East Japan Earthquake; house damage; the death of family member (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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