Tomoaki Tamaki1), Kiyotaka Watanabe2),Chihiro Nakayama3),Nanako Nakamura-Taira4)
1) Department of Health Risk Communication, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University,2) Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Teikyo University,3) Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University,4) Department of Psychology, Faculty of Letters, Chuo University
After the 2011 accident at the Tokyo Electric Power Company’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, many people were overwhelmed by information, escalating their worries about radiation exposure. Following the acute phase, a long-term approach was required to address the health impacts of low-dose exposure. Now, more than 12 years later, appropriate information dissemination and communication about treated water remain important in the recovery process from the disaster. Meanwhile, the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) that expanded globally from early 2020 in Japan has made ‘anxiety about the unknown’ a reality for many citizens, demanding responses that adapt to the constantly changing infection situation in terms of prevention, vaccination, and treatment. In October 2023, a symposium was held on the theme ‘Responding to the Unknown Anxiety Seen in the Nuclear Accident and COVID-19’ at the 15th Japan Health Communication Society Academic Symposium. The challenges and possibilities in responding to anxiety about the unknown were discussed from the perspectives of risk communication, media literacy, evaluating and improving the reliability of information, and risk perception.
Mio Kato1),Masaharu Tsubokura2),Rie Yokota3),Rina Miyawaki4)
1) Center for Emergency Preparedness and Response, National Institute of Infectious Diseases,2) Department of Radiation Health Management, Fukushima Medical University,3) Department of Health Communication, School of Public Health, The University of Tokyo,4) School of Arts and Letters, Meiji University
The COVID-19 pandemic presented health crisis responders with a major challenge: the infodemic. An infodemic refers to the mass flow of information, including correct information along with misinformation, disinformation, rumors and misleading information, in digital and offline media environments during a health crisis outbreak. In this symposium, three researchers presented topics on infodemic management. They introduced similarities in risk communication between COVID-19 and the Fukushima nuclear accident based on the real-life experiences of medical experts, mass media dissemination of information on lifestyle factors related to fertility, and the impact of citizens’ digital health literacy on their health. The development of digitalization, especially the increased use of social networking and the internet, allowed a discussion on risk communication today ? where information is spread quickly across borders ? from the perspectives of diverse stakeholders. The participants were able to share suggestions for infodemic management required to communicate known risks, risks that require reassessment and unknown health risks.
Kazuhiro Nakayama
Graduate School of Nursing Science, St. Luke’s International University
Mika KASAHARA1), Nobuo YOSHIIKE1), Motoki OHNISHI1)
1)Aomori University of Health and Welfare
BACKGROUND: The regional disparities in life expectancy in Japan pose significant challenges. This research aims to elucidate the relationship between health literacy (HL) levels and lifestyle factors (smoking, exercise, alcohol consumption, and weight management) and subjective health perception in regions with varying life expectancies. METHODS: We conducted a crosssectional study using a self-administered questionnaire in July 2018 with parents of high school students in regions with relatively high life-expectancy (prefectures B and C) and relatively low life-expectancy (prefecture A). The survey items included Communicative and Critical Health Literacy (CCHL) and a 14-item Health Literacy Scale (HLS-14) for HL scores, lifestyle habits (smoking, exercise, alcohol consumption, and weight control), and self-rated health. RESULTS: No significant association was found between the two health literacy measures and regions, nor between health literacy and lifestyle habits (smoking, exercise, and alcohol consumption). However, lifestyle habits differed significantly among regions, suggesting lifestyles might be possible background factors for the regional health disparities.
Ayako UCHINAMI1) 2), Shinsuke HAYAMA 2)3), Chikako YAMAKI 3)
1) Faculty of Social Welfare, Rissho University,2) Slow Communication Japan,3) National Cancer Center Japan
This paper reports on the practices involved in the prototyping an easy read version of cancer information for individuals with intellectual disabilities, based on a booklet designed for the general public. Through the process of creating the “Colorectal Cancer: Easy Read Version,” we clarified the general process and issues associated with creating easy read versions of medical information. The “Colorectal Cancer: Easy Read Version” developed in this study was comprehensible to most participants with intellectual disabilities. In particular, the easy read version was effective in promoting understanding through visual information and illustrations. We investigated the potential of the easy read version of the cancer information by interviewing medical care providers about their reactions and future use of the easy read version of the information. The results suggest that the “Colorectal Cancer: Easy Read Version” may be easily understood not only by people with intellectual disabilities but also by individuals with hearing impairment, people diagnosed with dementia, and those without disabilities. The easy read version of this information may be useful for a wide variety of people.
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