Water-related disasters and their health impacts: A global review
Progress in Disaster Science (Elsevier)
Jiseon Lee, Duminda Perera, Talia Glickman, LinaTaing
August, 2020
Mental health problems.
Mental health problems as flood-related diseases have been studied extensively. Deteriorated mental health resulting from floods is usually due to comorbid physical health problems, financial losses, and community or social disruption[1] . Among people who were exposed to floods, those who perceived they had other health issues, or those who had preconceptions about the connection between floods and mental health, were purported as potential factors for reporting worsening mental health[2] [3]. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was one of the most common illnesses reported on in the case studies[4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]. Various studies have noted, through both self-reporting and diagnostic criteria, that PTSD symptoms tend to increase after floods, with the severity of each case varying with subjective experiences[10] [11]. In a study looking at the mental health problems of the 2010 flood in Pakistan, all flood victims in the sample met the PTSD diagnostic criteria[12]. It has been observed that prescriptions of anti-anxiety medications and sleep aids have increased during and after certain flood events, and antidepressant prescriptions increased post-flood[13] [14]. Increased anxiety, psychological distress, and decreased overall mental health have been reported[15] [16] [17] [18]. Factors such as increased stoicism, maladaptive coping, and, in children, pre-flood behavioral problems, may lead to adverse mental health effects after flooding[19] [20]. In Fig. 8, all mental health impacts had ratios higher than the null, indicating a positive association with the impact and floods.
Malnutrition.
Malnutrition is not a common flood impact investigated in the selected studies. When examining the relationship between the nutrition of children and flooding in Eastern India, the prevalence of wasting was highest in the community affected by flooding in 2006 and 2008 (51.6%), second highest in a community affected by flooding only in 2008 (41.4%), and lowest in a community not affected by floods (21.2%)[21]. Another study reported that 90% of households were forced to eat less during or shortly after a flood, potentially suffering from undernutrition[22].
Fig. 6. Main Health Risks by Floods. (a) RRs, (b) ORs, and © IRRs with 95% confidence intervals
Fig. 7. Health Risks of Water-borne Diseases by Floods. (a) RRs, (b) ORs, and © IRRs with 95% confidence intervals
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