Nagasaki City, which is surrounded by steep slopes and densely populated residential areas on the slopes, is vulnerable to flood damage. In this study, we aimed to grasp, analyze and discuss the situation of residents’ preparedness for disasters and checking and understanding of hazard maps. The residents’ associations were classified into four types according to the existence of the inundation area of the Nagasaki great flood disaster in 1982 and the existence of sediment disaster warning zone. We selected one or two associations from each category to conduct a self-administered questionnaire survey, and 236 valid answers were collected. Of all respondents, 54.7% answered that they had prepared for disasters, and the percentage of those who had prepared tended to be lower in areas that included sediment disaster warning zones, although the difference was not statistically significant. Also, 34.8% of the respondents checked hazard maps on a regular basis, and 58.1% understood how to read them. The percentage of those who understood the hazard map in the district including the sediment disaster warning zone was significantly lower, and the percentage of those who understood how to read the hazard map among those aged ≧ 70 years was significantly lower than that of those aged < 70 years. Therefore, it would be effective to carry out campaigns and activities for awareness and understanding focusing on areas with a higher risk of sediment disasters and those aged ≧ 70 years.

Objective: Oral health is related to overall health, and maintaining oral health-related quality of life (OHRQOL) is important for improved health and increased life expectancy. The Kihon Checklist is a simple questionnaire to assess a person’s potential need for care, in the near future. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the usefulness of the Kihon Checklist as an indicator for detecting individuals with low OHRQOL, among elderly women.

Methods: OHRQOL was assessed using General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI). Binomial logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between OHRQOL and the Kihon Checklist score. Detection accuracy was determined using sensitivity, specificity, and positive likelihood ratio.

Results: The number of subjects was 71 elderly women, and the median age was 77 years. The odds ratio of low OHRQOL was 6.14 (p=0.003) for those who had “cognitive decline” on the Kihon Checklist as compared to those who did not. Among subjects without “declining oral function” in the Kihon Checklist, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive likelihood ratio of the “cognitive decline” item for detecting low OHRQOL were 71.4%, 80.0%, and 3.6, respectively.

Conclusion: The present results suggest that the supporters who use the Kihon Checklist should support the elderly women who have “cognitive decline” by suspecting a low OHRQOL.