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Kumamoto Earthquake NST activity report: food problems in evacuation shelters in comparison with convalescent facilities
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Joji Kotani, Isamu Yamada, Takahiro Ueda
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Ann Clin Nutr Metab 2024;16(3):173-180. Published online December 1, 2024
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.15747/ACNM.2024.16.3.173
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 Abstract
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- Purpose: It aims to investigate the contents of food supplies, gastrointestinal symptoms, and stated preferences of evacuees during the first two weeks after the earthquake.
Methods: Thirty-four evacuees from evacuation shelters and 12 evacuees from geriatric care facilities were surveyed. Subjective and comprehensive nutritional assessment questionnaires were administered to the evacuees, and their dissatisfaction and preferences were also recorded in an open-ended format.
Results: Weight decreased, remained unchanged, increased, or was unknown for 4, 24, 6, and 0 evacuees from the shelters and in 0, 8, 1, and 3 evacuees from the facilities. The number of respondents who reported a decrease, change, or decrease in food intake was 4, 22, and 1 from the evacuation centers and 1, 10, and 1 from the facilities, indicating a large number of changes in the evacuation centers. Reasons for weight gain included “feeling that they should not leave food behind,” “eating a lot of high-calorie food,” and “eating sweets and cup noodles.” Constipation was the most common gastrointestinal symptom (n=5) in the evacuation centers, while diverse symptoms were reported from the facilities. Constipation in the facilities was thought to be related to the high carbohydrate content of the food. Only two respondents were satisfied with the shelter, and the majority complained of dissatisfaction. The most common complaints were “I don’t like bread in the morning (I prefer rice);” “Too sweet;” and “Onigiri (rice ball) is too big,” but there were also complaints about the eating environment on the floor, such as “I lose [my] appetite when eating on the floor due to abdominal pressure” (I prefer to eat on a chair at a table). The majority of the respondents in the facilities did not have any complaints. All of the respondents in the shelters expressed a wide variety of food preferences, including vegetables, rice in the morning, meat, fruit, and foods that were not available due to lack of refrigeration, such as carbonated beverages and ice cream. Some respondents expressed that they were tired of being given food unilaterally and having no choice, such as “I want to choose my own food” and “I want a vending machine [to choose my own food].” There were almost no requests for food at the facilities, and the majority of the respondents were satisfied with their situation. The food was supplied by volunteers and the Self-Defense Forces, which were out of sync with the needs of the evacuees at the evacuation center. However, at the facilities, food was sent to a geriatric care facility in a remote area that accounted for the needs of the victims.
Conclusion: Evacuees were grateful for the food supplies immediately after the disaster, but gradually became dissatisfied. Meals are one of the pleasures in evacuation centers and are important for reducing mental stress. Evacuation centers should consider the needs of evacuees when providing food to evacuees.
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