Impact of disasters caused by natural hazards on the health of women in south and southeast Asia
Citation: Fatema SR, East L, Islam MS, et al. Health Impact and Risk Factors Affecting South and Southeast Asian Women Following Natural Disasters: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021;18(21):11068.
Language: Abstract and full text available in EN.
Free to view: Yes.
Funding sources: The authors of the review reported that they had no external funding for this review.
What is this? Health emergencies and disasters caused by natural hazards place a strain on health systems. In this systematic review, the authors searched for peer-reviewed studies that examined risk factors and the impact on women’s physical and mental health after disasters caused by natural hazards in south and southeast Asia. They restricted their searches to articles published in English between July 2008 and March 2021. They found 16 studies from Bangladesh (1), India (2), Indonesia (2), Nepal (6), Pakistan (4), and Sri Lanka (1).
What was found: The authors found that disasters caused by natural hazards had a direct impact on women’s physical health, including physical injuries, disability, and decreased quality of life. Disasters caused by natural hazards contributed to post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders, particularly in those women who were injured, bereaved, or lost resources or livelihood. There was a strong association between socio-demographic factors and women’s health.
Implications: The authors of the review stated that knowledge of risk factors can improve preparedness and address the impact of disasters caused by natural hazards on women’s health. Access to female health professionals after disasters caused by natural hazards can reduce mental illness.
Other considerations: The authors of the review discussed their findings in the context of age, gender, socioeconomic status, social capital, and religion.
This summary was prepared by Grace Meng, checked by Briann Mensour, and finalized by William Summerskill.