The Aral Sea disaster and self-rated health

Crighton, Eric; Elliott, Susan J.; Upshur, Ross; Meer, Joost van der; Small, Ian

doi:10.1016/s1353-8292(02)00017-5

Cited by 32 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Our findings of lower post-disaster HRQoL levels among exposed professional firefighters and police officers are in line with those of other studies in communities struck by disaster [13][14][15][16][17][18][19], and military personnel after service in the first Gulf War [20][21][22][23]. There are several potential explanations for the negative impact of occupational exposure to the air disaster on the long-term HRQoL of these professional assistance workers.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…The concept of HRQoL, focusing on functioning, has become increasingly popular in clinical and community samples as a valuable measure of overall subjective health in terms of biopsychosocial well-being and limitations. Nevertheless, only a few studies have addressed HRQoL after disastrous events; these demonstrated impaired HRQoL after various types of disasters [13][14][15][16][17][18], and after the September 11th terrorist attack [19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Health-related quality of life of firefighters and police officers 8.5 years after the air disaster in Amsterdam

Slottje¹,

Twisk

Smidt

et al. 2006

Qual Life Res

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health-related quality of life of firefighters and police officers 8.5 years after the air disaster in Amsterdam

Slottje¹,

Twisk

Smidt

et al. 2006

Qual Life Res

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“…This finding was consistent with the results of other studies reporting a significant independent association between stressful life events and both poor SRH [17,67] and adverse mental [5,68] and physical health outcomes [69,70].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…Considerable evidence suggests poorer general health outcomes among survivors of disasters and traumatized subjects in terms of increased physical morbidity and mortality several years after the trauma [11][12][13][14][15]. Nevertheless, studies of selfrated health (SRH) among disaster victims many years after the exposure are very rare [16,17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prospective study of predictors of poor self-rated health in a 23-year cohort of earthquake survivors in Armenia

Demirchyan¹,

Petrosyan²,

Armenian³

et al. 2015

JEGH

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Long-term prospective studies exploring general health outcomes among disaster survivors are rare. Self-rated health (SRH) - a proven correlate of morbidity and mortality prognosis - was used to investigate predictors of perceived health status among a 23-year cohort of survivors of 1988 Spitak earthquake in Armenia. A geographically-stratified subsample of 725 adults from a larger initial cohort was followed during the period of 1990-2012. A logistic regression model identified predictors of SRH. Adjusted relative risks for the long-term predictors of SRH were calculated. The rate of poor SRH among the survivors was 18.8%, fair 56.5%, and good/excellent 24.7%. In the fitted model, long-term risk factors of poor SRH included baseline body mass index, baseline multi-morbidity, number of experienced stressful life events, and perceived poor living standards during the post-earthquake decade, while participation in sports in the early 1990s was a protective factor. Short-term protective factors included socio-economic status score, social support, employment and dignity, while current household size was a risk factor for poor SRH. No association was found between earthquake exposure severity and SRH after 23 years. However, the identified predictors included a number of modifiable lifestyle, material and psychological factors. Thus, interventions targeting these factors could have a long-lasting impact on disaster victims' health status.

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“…Couch and Kroll-Smith (1994) point out that up until the mid-1990s very little research focused on diluted or 'chronic technical' disasters. As such, this study joins other research (see for example Cutter 2001;Crighton et al 2003) in addressing some of the gaps in that literature. Community concerns about the potential health impacts of technological disasters tend to differ considerably from concerns related to natural disasters (Holden 1980;Cutter 1993;Couch and Kroll-Smith 1994).…”

Section: Residential Exposure To Industrial Waste and Reproductive Hesupporting

confidence: 59%

Effects of residential exposure to steel mills and coking works on birth weight and preterm births among residents of Sydney, Nova Scotia

Burra¹,

Elliott²,

Eyles³

et al. 2006

Canadian Geographies / Géographies canadiennes

Self Cite

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The Sydney Tar Ponds in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, have been referred to as the most contaminated industrial site in the country. Area residents, aware of the contamination for close to 25 years, are very concerned about their health: past, present and future. In particular, they are concerned about cancer; this is followed closely by reproductive health concerns. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence and determinants of birth weight and preterm birth among residents living in proximity to an industrial site contaminated with a mix of industrial wastes arising from a former steel mill and coking works (the Tar Ponds) in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada. A telephone survey was administered to 500 randomly selected women living in proximity to the site to document reproductive histories. The respondents reported 904 live birth pregnancies occurring in Sydney. The mean birth weight reported for live birth pregnancies was 3,391 g (standard deviation: 570). The reported prevalence of preterm births was 7 percent. Linear regression analyses showed a reduction in birth weight of approximately 85 g among residents in a zone estimated to have higher levels of deposition of airborne effluent from the site. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed a decrease in the risk of preterm birth as residential distance from the site increased (odds ratio 0.65, 95 percent confidence interval 0.42, 0.98). These data suggest that community exposure to industrial contaminants had some, but little, impact on reported birth weights in this sample of respondents. The apparent increase in risk for preterm births suggests further investigation may be warranted, particularly in light of community concerns. Follow‐up investigations using validated birth records and more sensitive measures of environmental exposure could be used to confirm the findings and further explore the intra‐urban variation in health outcomes. These findings underscore the importance of ongoing clean‐up efforts in Sydney.

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The Aral Sea disaster and self-rated health

Cited by 32 publications

References 24 publications

Health-related quality of life of firefighters and police officers 8.5 years after the air disaster in Amsterdam

Health-related quality of life of firefighters and police officers 8.5 years after the air disaster in Amsterdam

Prospective study of predictors of poor self-rated health in a 23-year cohort of earthquake survivors in Armenia

Effects of residential exposure to steel mills and coking works on birth weight and preterm births among residents of Sydney, Nova Scotia

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