ID Number		2258
Study Type		Epidemiology
Model		Population studies to 1) estimate the prevalence and identify the associated factors of self-reported electromagnetic field sensitivity (SREMFS) in adults in Taiwan and 2) to investigate perceived risks of EMFs and other environmental sources by the people of Taiwan.
Details		AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Tseng et al. 2011 (IEEE #5113)BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Psychological factors have been implicated in the etiology of idiopathic environmental illness in many studies. Few studies have ever reported psychiatric morbidity among individuals with electromagnetic hypersensitivity. We aimed to estimate the prevalence and identify the associated factors of self-reported electromagnetic field sensitivity (SREMFS) in adults of Taiwan. METHODS: A total of 1251 adults selected from a nationwide Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing system received a telephone survey about the perception of risk from various environmental agents and their effects on health and well-being. RESULTS: The estimated prevalence of people with SREMFS was 13.3 % (95% confidence interval: 11.2-15.3). People aged >65 years were associated with a lower risk of reporting sensitivity to electromagnetic fields, whereas people with a very poor self-reported health status, those who were unable to work, and those who had psychiatric morbidity were associated with a higher risk of having SREMFS. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of SREMFS in the general population of Taiwan is higher than that reported in western countries. People with psychiatric morbidity are more likely to report sensitivity to electromagnetic fields. The cross-sectional design precludes the causal inference of all identified correlates and electromagnetic field sensitivity. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Tseng et al. 2013 (IEEE #5359): Little is known about the perceived health risks of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and factors associated with risk perception in non-Western countries. Psychological conditions and risk perception have been postulated as factors that facilitate the attribution of health complaints to environmental factors. This study investigated people's perceived risks of EMFs and other environmental sources, as well as the relationships between risk perception, psychopathology, and the degree of self-reported sensitivity to EMFs. A total of 1,251 adults selected from a nationwide telephone interviewing system database responded to a telephone survey about the relationships between environmental sources and human health. The interview included questions assessing participants psychiatric conditions and the presence and degree of sensitivity to EMFs. One hundred and seventy participants were self-identified as having sensitivity to EMFs, and 141 met the criteria for psychiatric conditions without EMF sensitivity. More than half of the survey respondents considered power lines and mobile phone base stations to affect people's health to a big extent. Higher sensitivity to EMFs, psychopathology, being female, being married, more years of education, and having a catastrophic illness had positive associations with perceived risks of EMF-related environmental sources as well as for all environmental sources combined. We observed no moderating effect of psychopathology on the association between degree of sensitivity to EMF and risk perception. Thus, psychopathology had influence on general people's risk perception without having influence on the relationship between people's degree of sensitivity to EMF and risk perception. The plausible explanations are discussed in the text.
Findings		Effects
Status		Completed With Publication
Principal Investigator
Funding Agency		Nat'l Science Council, Taiwan
Country		TAIWAN, PROVINCE OF CHINA
References		Tseng, MC et al. Journal of the Formosan Medical Association., (2011) 110:634-641 Tseng, MC et al. Risk Analysis., (2013) 33:2002-2012
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