Association of disaster-related damage with inflammatory diet among older survivors of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

Traumatic experiences from disasters have enduring effects on health, both directly and indirectly by influencing health behaviours. Among potential pathways, the impact of disaster-related trauma on dietary patterns has been understudied. This study investigated the relationship between disaster-related trauma and dietary inflammatory index (DII (R)), and how these relationships differed by gender and whether they prepare meal by themselves or not among older survivors of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (n 1375). Dietary data were collected in 2020 using a brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire, from which we derived a dietary inflammatory index (DII (R)) based on twenty-six food/nutrient items, where higher scores indicate pro-inflammatory (i.e. unhealthy) diet. We found that the experience of housing damage due to the earthquake and tsunami was associated with slightly higher DII scores (coef. = 0 center dot 38, 95 % CI -0 center dot 05, 0 center dot 81). Specifically, women who cooked by themselves tended to have higher DII when they experienced housing damage (coef. = 1 center dot 33, 95 %CI -0 center dot 63, 3 center dot 28). On the other hand, loss of friends was associated with a lower DII score (coef. = -0 center dot 28, 95 % CI -0 center dot 54, -0 center dot 01). These findings highlight the importance of providing support to groups who are at increased risk of deterioration in dietary quality in the aftermath of disasters.