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Review
. 2017 Aug 9;63(2):57-63.
doi: 10.5387/fms.2016-17. Epub 2017 Jul 5.

The Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS) in Fukushima Prefecture-A progress report on the enrollment stage

Koichi Hashimoto  1   2 , Seiji Yasumura  1   3 , Keiya Fujimori  1   4 , Hyo Kyozuka  1   4 , Yu Wakaki  1   4 , Akiko Sato  1 , Haruko Hanzawa  1 , Tadahiko Yokoyama  1 , Testushi Sato  1 , Mitsuaki Hosoya  1   2
Affiliations
Review

The Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS) in Fukushima Prefecture-A progress report on the enrollment stage

Koichi Hashimoto et al. Fukushima J Med Sci. .

Abstract

The Japan Environment and Children's Study is an ongoing nationwide birth cohort study that is being conducted at 15 regional centers throughout Japan. The recruitment of subjects in the study area within Fukushima Prefecture, which includes Fukushima City, Minami Soma City and Futaba County, was begun on January 31, 2011 with the cooperation of the obstetrics and gynecology departments of local medical institutions. On March 11, soon after the start of recruitment, the Tohoku region was hit by an unprecedented disaster in the shape of the Great East Japan Earthquake, which was closely followed by the Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. As a result of the disaster, the study area in Fukushima Prefecture was expanded on October 1, 2012 to include 59 municipalities across Fukushima Prefecture. Three points are seen as particularly important: 1) Radiation risk communication, 2) The motto is "Be attentive. Be supportive.", and 3) Establishing cooperating partnerships. With the cooperation of all concerned, the recruitment period ended on March 31, 2014. The tentative total number of the participants enrolled at the Fukushima Regional Center was 34,666 (13,134 pregnant mothers, 8,695 fathers and 12,837 children born before November 30, 2014 as of June 2016).

Keywords: Fukushima; Great East Japan Earthquake; JECS; birth cohort; enrollment stage.

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Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Study areas and targeted sampling sizes of the JECS as of January, 2011. Fifteen regional centers were selected in a competitive process in which universities and other research institutions were invited to submit proposals for the covered areas, population, recruitment methods, organization structures, regional liaison, and resources. The JECS aims to cover half of all the births in the area. Selected regional centers were required to recruit 3,000 to 9,000 pregnant women over a period of 3 years, totaling 100,000 participants in 15 regional centers. This figure is cited in “Reference 1” and is partially modified.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Fukushima Prefecture Fukushima Prefecture consists of 7 districts: Aizu, Minami-Aizu, Ken-poku, Ken-chu, Ken-nan, Soso, and Iwaki. Minami Soma City and Futaba County are part of the Soso district.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Registration of pregnant women in Fukushima Prefecture for the JECS The number of participants (right vertical axis) indicates the number of pregnant women registered each month for the JECS. The recruitment of subjects began on January 31, 2011. Soon after the start of recruitment, the Tohoku Region was hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake, followed by the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi NPP accident. On October 1, 2012, the study area was expanded from 10 to 59 local municipalities covering the entire Fukushima Prefecture. Participation rate (left vertical axis) is the number of participating pregnant women divided by the total number of pregnant women who were provided with an oral explanation of this study.
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