JAMA Network Open

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 11 A.M. (ET), FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2019

Media advisory: To contact corresponding author Noriaki Kurita, M.D., Ph.D., email [email protected]. The full study is linked to this news release.

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About JAMA Network Open: JAMA Network Open is the new online-only open access general medical journal from the JAMA Network. Every Friday, the journal publishes peer-reviewed clinical research and commentary in more than 40 medical and health subject areas. Every article is free online from the day of publication.

Bottom Line: An earthquake and subsequent tsunami led to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant disaster in Japan in 2011. This observational study examined associations between the earthquake and power plant disaster with birth rates in Fukushima City, the capital of the prefecture. There was an estimated 10 percent reduction in monthly birth rates in the first two years after the disaster but after that the trend in birth rates was similar to before the disaster, a finding the authors suggest may be indicative of rebuilding efforts. The study acknowledges the potential for underestimation of birth rates several years after the disaster.

Author: Noriaki Kurita, M.D., Ph.D., Fukushima Medical University Hospital, Fukushima City, Japan

(doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.7455)

Editor’s Note:  Please see the article for additional information, including author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

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