An institute at the University of Hyogo has launched a five-year program to monitor the health of some 2,000 survivors of the major earthquake that hit Sichuan Province, China, in May.
The Research Institute of Nursing Care for People and Community said the program, which started last month, is the first of its kind as no followup surveys have ever been conducted on a large sample of survivors of a major disaster.
The study will be conducted at shelters in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, and mountain-ringed regions near the city, with the help of local medical institutions.
The survivors will be asked questions in eight areas, including their health conditions, whether they are prepared for another possible disaster, the extent of damage they suffered in the quake, and their physical and mental conditions after the quake.
"Collecting background information over a long period of time has important meaning," said Aiko Yamamoto, a professor at the research institute.
Yamamoto added that she also hopes the survey's results will help nurture professional disaster nurses.
The survey was conceived after the institute formed friendships with Chinese medical institutions when it made public in Chinese its knowledge of disaster nursing on its Web site after the May temblor.
Some 69,000 people were confirmed killed in the quake and about 18,000 remain missing.