Radioprotection 2024 , 59 ( 3 ), 211 – 219 © SFRP , 2024 https :// doi . org / 10.1051 / radiopro / 2024013
Available online at : www . radioprotection . org ARTICLE
Attitudes toward future child-rearing among male and female adults without children in different prefectures at 11 years after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident
S . Ito 1 ,* and A . Goto 2 , 3
1 School of Nursing , Kitasato University , 1-15-1 , Kitasato , Minamiku , Sagamihara-city , Kanagawa 252-0373 , Japan . 2 Center for Integrated Science and Humanities , Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine , 1 , Hikarigaoka , Fukushima-city ,
Fukushima 960-1295 , Japan . 3 Department of Global Health and Population , Harvard T . H . Chan School of Public Health , 665 Huntington Avenue , Boston ,
MA 02115 , USA . Received : 14 December 2023 / Accepted : 29 March 2024
Abstract – This study aimed to determine whether confidence in future childbearing and child-rearing in relation to radiation exposure differs among people without children in Fukushima Prefecture , its neighboring prefectures ( Tochigi , Ibaraki , and Miyagi ), and other prefectures , and among men and women at 11 years after the nuclear accident . In February 2022 , a cross-sectional online survey was conducted using an Internet research company . A total of 985 people were surveyed : 240 from Fukushima , 305 from neighboring prefectures , and 440 from other prefectures . The proportion of women who were confident about future childbearing was low and the confidence was associated with radiation-related risk perceptions in both Fukushima and neighboring prefectures . The results suggest that the more people want to have children in the future , the more likely they will be able to discuss radiation , and the less likely they will be able to believe that radiation has a low impact on their partners . Therefore , it is necessary to create an environment where people can openly discuss radiation , and to examine factors that affect confidence in future childbearing and child-rearing by gender and prefecture .
Keywords : Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant / radiation effects / childbearing intentions / epidemiology
1 Background
The experience of radiation exposure associated with the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident following the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11 , 2011 , has had a significant impact on the mental health of many people ( Ishii et al ., 2022 ; Ito et al ., 2018a , 2018b ; Suzuki et al ., 2015 ). Although this radiation exposure has been reported to have had little impact on physical health ( United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation ( UNSCEAR ), 2015 ), 38.3 %– 42.6 % of mothers who experienced radiation exposure during pregnancy and childbirth in Fukushima Prefecture in 2011 – 2012 reported still feeling concerned about prejudice at 8 – 9 years after the accident , in 2019 – 2020 ( Ito et al ., 2018a ; Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey , 2022 ). In 2018 , 7 years after the accident , 27.5 % of female university students who experienced radiation exposure in Fukushima Prefecture
* Corresponding author : shinyai @ nrs . kitasato-u . ac . jp were still unsure about having a baby in the future , and 40.0 %– 45.0 % of these students thought that radiation exposure was likely to cause health effects ( Ito et al ., 2023 ).
After the accident , the physical and mental health of all pregnant women in Fukushima Prefecture was assessed ( Ishii et al ., 2022 ; Ito et al ., 2018a ). In addition , a previous study ( Ito et al ., 2023 ) conducted to assess confidence in future childbearing and perceived risk of radiation exposure affecting the physical health of female students in Fukushima Prefecture who had experienced radiation exposure . However , in prefectures close to Fukushima , such as Tochigi , Ibaraki , and Miyagi , no surveys on childbirth / child-rearing anxiety associated with radiation exposure have been conducted , despite the proximity of these prefectures to the site of the nuclear accident . Most surveys on childbirth and child-rearing concerns have focused on expectant and nursing mothers and women , and the actual situation for men has not been clarified . According to a web-based survey conducted by the Ministry of the Environment from FY2021 to FY2023 , the level of awareness of health risks associated with radiation exposure differs among Fukushima Prefecture , the Tohoku region