Objectives: This study investigated the longitudinal changes in the physical activity of the Great East Japan Earthquake victims living in temporary housing.
Methods: Thirty-nine residents (10 men and 29 women) living in temporary housing in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture, participated in a health survey in 2012. Among these residents, 31 who also participated in a health survey in 2011 were included in a longitudinal study of physical activity. The physical activity for two weeks after the health survey was measured using a tri-accelerometer.
Results: During the one-year period from 2011 to 2012, the median daily step counts changed from 4,959 (interquartile range: 2,910-6,029) steps/day to 4,618 (interquartile range: 3,007-7,123) steps/day. The step counts increased for 18 people (56%). The amount of moderate to vigorous physical activity changed from 13.3 (interquartile range: 7.7-22.4) METs h/week to 16.1 (interquartile range: 6.3-25.2) METs h/week. An increase in daily step counts occurred for 14 out of 21 subjects who were <65 years old (67%) and only 3 out of 10 subjects who were ≥65 years old (30%).
Conclusion: It was suggested that physical activity levels increased because the interquartile range of step counts moved in the direction of an increase and the median amount of moderate to vigorous physical activity increased. However, increasing support for physical activity in the future is required because the physical activity levels of the Great East Japan Earthquake victims who were living in temporary housing were still low compared to the national and regional averages.