ToMMo completed the ToMMo Child Health Study in Miyagi Prefecture during a period of four years after the Great East Earthquake [Press Release]
Tohoku University Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization (ToMMo) conducted a questionnaire survey as part of the ToMMo Child Health Study from FY2012 to FY2015 in Miyagi Prefecture. The "Children's Health Questionnaire" was distributed to 62,895 students in the second, fourth, and sixth grades of primary school and to second year junior high school students. Of the distributed questionnaires, 17,043 were completed and returned by parents or guardians. According to this study, 1,468 children had symptoms of wheeze, and 3,283 children had symptoms of eczema.
Of the children who were not receiving any treatment or diagnosis despite having strong symptoms, 94 children had wheeze, and 116 children had eczema.
Furthermore, A Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was conducted to study the psychological health of children. It found that 640 children experience some form of difficulty in their daily lives and are deemed to require assistance. The aggregate findings from the questionnaire survey were notified to municipalities for the purpose of improving their health administration.
If requested by parents or guardians, and as necessary, public health nurses and psychologists provided mental and physical health counseling, among other supports at ToMMo. Telephone counseling was provided to 1,609 children who may have severe symptoms. 110 Face-to-face meetings were also held as requested.