Evidence Aid bulletin: 7 August 2023
Hello everyone,
We are pleased to send you Evidence Aid’s August 2023 bulletin. Throughout the previous month, we at Evidence Aid have updated the majority of our evidence collections with topics including corruption in construction and disasters caused by natural hazards and refugee experience of the Australian healthcare system. While we will highlight some of these recently added summaries, we encourage you to also take a look at our online collections for the exhaustive list of new additions.
We hope you enjoy this month’s newsletter, and we thank you for your continued support and reading.
As usual, anyone who would like to be notified of the bulletin and/or newsletter’s release or, if you have any questions or concerns about our work at Evidence Aid, please contact Jane Copsey (info@evidenceaid.org).. Finally, if you like our work and think it is important that we continue through 2023, please consider donating here.
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Rapid needs assessments in disasters caused by natural hazards
Disaster and humanitarian aid authorities are expected to carry out a timely response to a population post-disaster, but, due to a series of complications, conditions, and capacities, such operations are often hindered. The authors conducted a systematic review to provide an overview of the methods, strengths, weaknesses, and implementation factors of rapid needs assessments (RNAs) in disasters with a particular focus on health care and basic need assistance. RNAs provide a snapshot of the immediate group needs, and not only provide necessary information for rapidly evolving disasters, but also do so without bias. Due to their broader nature, RNAs fail to obtain an accurate and complete picture of a populations’ needs, leading to recommendations which included investment in the development of survey question pools, combine data collection to minimize bias, and perform repeated measures.
Citation: Bosmans MWG, et al. A systematic review of rapid needs assessments and their usefulness for disaster decision making: Methods, strengths and weaknesses and value for disaster relief policy. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. 2022;19:102807.
You can find a full summary in the Earthquakes collection.
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Impact of disasters caused by natural hazards on the health of women in south and southeast Asia
In the aftermath of a disaster, women tend to have a higher prevalence of adverse physical and mental health effects. The authors identified potential health impacts and key risk factors that affect women after disasters. The six most-cited influences on women’s mental health included being an adult female, having no formal education, poverty or low economic status, poor physical health, and death of family members. To mitigate these effects, the authors concluded that appropriate social support, in particular the availability of free healthcare and access to knowledge, would be useful.
Citation: Fatema SR, 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.
You can find a full summary in the Managing mental injuries in disasters collection.
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Mental health consequences of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster
To integrate literature regarding the prevalence and characteristics of the psychological consequences faced by survivors of the 2011 Fukushima disaster, the authors conducted a large-scale cohort study. The study outcomes found that primarily nonspecific psychological distress, depressive symptoms, post-traumatic stress symptoms, and anxiety symptoms were among the most common. The authors found that most studies report on intervention methods for vulnerable populations such as children, mothers, evacuees, and nuclear plant workers; there was less emphasis on the intervention methods.
Citation: Shigemura J, et al. Mental health consequences for survivors of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster: a systematic review. Part 1: psychological consequences. CNS Spectrums. 2021;26(1):14–29.
You can find a full summary in the Managing mental injuries in disasters collection.
Thank you very much for reading this month’s bulletin. As a final reminder, anyone who would like to receive these bulletins directly or has questions about our work should contact Jane Copsey (info@evidenceaid.org). And, as a donor-based organization, we appreciate your continued support. If you think our work is important, please consider donating here.
From,
Your Evidence Aid team