Health Impact and Risk Factors Affecting South and Southeast Asian Women Following Natural Disasters: A Systematic Review

Abstract

(1) Background: Following natural disasters, women have a higher prevalence of adverse physical and mental health outcomes. Given that the South and Southeast Asia regions are highly disaster prone, a review was undertaken to identify the potential health impact and key risk factors affecting women after disasters in the countries located in South and Southeast Asia regions. (2) Methods: A systematic literature search of four databases yielded 16 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. The review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidance, between July 2008 and March 2021. (3) Results: The majority of studies reported women’s negative/poor mental health, identifying a significant association of socio-demographics, during disaster exposure, post-disaster, and pre-existing risk factors. The six most-cited influences on women’s mental health found in the reviewed literature were being female, adult age group, having no formal education, poverty or low economic status, poor physical health/physical injuries, and death of family members. Women’s health during the post-disaster period was generally reported as poor among all the countries of the South and Southeast Asia regions. (4) Conclusion: Appropriate social support and the availability of free healthcare access for women are warranted in disaster-affected areas. This review offers a valuable contribution to the knowledge of women’s health complications/challenges and associated risk factors related to disasters, essential for the development of strategies to help reduce this burden in the future. Further research is required on natural disasters to identify ways to reduce women’s health impacts after natural disasters, especially in the context of low-income and lower-middle-income countries.

Opportunistic Mental Health Screening: Is there a Role Following a Disaster? Lessons from the 2010-2011 Queensland (Australia) Floods and Cyclones

“…31,32 A systematic review of south and south-east Asian women impacted by natural disasters noted the relationship between adverse physical and mental health outcomes. 33 The importance of gender is exemplified by the caregiver roles adopted by women in many societies, the increased risk of intimate partner violence (IPV) following a disaster, and the recognized association between IPV and the increased likelihood of adverse physical health and mental health outcomes. [34][35][36][37] Failure to address the relationship between post-disaster physical health and adverse psychological outcomes and to provide a strategy to address this aspect increases the likelihood of unmet mental health needs and delayed presentation and treatment.…”

Physical and mental health status of women in disaster-affected areas in Bangladesh

“…The frequency and severity of disasters is potentially the biggest global health threat of the twenty-first century, particularly for resource-poor countries (Karmakar and Pradhan 2020;Smith et al 2022). Disaster events increase the social, physical, psychological, and economic vulnerabilities among populations, thereby contributing to local, regional, and global health risks (Fatema et al 2021;Ye and Aldrich 2021).…”

“…Women also may experience inadequate nutrition and poorer health related to their tendency to sacrifice available food for children and other family members at times when food is scarce (Beier et al 2015;Kabir et al 2019). These pre-existing factors combined with disasters therefore have a greater impact on women's physical and mental well-being during and after disasters, compared to men (Fatema et al 2021;Smith et al 2022;Wickrama and Ketring 2012).…”

“…Bangladesh has already suffered from many harsh environmental disasters, which have adversely affected the health of the people, particularly women due to vulnerable sociocultural constructs, gender inequality, and living in environmentally fragile areas. Yet, only a few researchers have explored the physical health impact of disasters or emphasized the need for mental health care for the vulnerable women in Bangladesh (Fatema et al 2021;Nahar et al 2014;Hasan et al 2020). Research on women's health in the context of disasters in Bangladesh is needed to facilitate disaster preparedness, response, recovery, reconstruction, and health management strategies.…”

Changes in the proportion of anemia among young women after the Great East Japan Earthquake: the Fukushima health management survey

“…The subsequent nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) resulted in the widespread release of radioactive materials 14 . In addition to health risks such as physical injuries, infection, and mental illness due to natural disasters and the evacuation 15 , 16 , the residents nearby FDNPP were particularly at risk of radiation exposure which may cause the acute and late phase of radiation sickness 17 , 18 . In response to this situation, the Prefecture Government launched the Fukushima Health Management Survey (FHMS) to investigate the health status of residents and utilize the data obtained for health promotion in June 2011, with a target population of approximately 2.05 million 19 .…”