Scientific evidence on natural disasters and health emergency and disaster risk management in Asian rural-based area

Global Research on Natural Disasters and Human Health: a Mapping Study Using Natural Language Processing Techniques

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This review aimed to systematically synthesize the global evidence base for natural disasters and human health using natural language processing (NLP) techniques.

RECENT FINDINGS

We searched Embase, PubMed, Scopus, PsycInfo, and Web of Science Core Collection, using titles, abstracts, and keywords, and included only literature indexed in English. NLP techniques, including text classification, topic modeling, and geoparsing methods, were used to systematically identify and map scientific literature on natural disasters and human health published between January 1, 2012, and April 3, 2022. We predicted 6105 studies in the area of natural disasters and human health. Earthquakes, hurricanes, and tsunamis were the most frequent nature disasters; posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression were the most frequently studied health outcomes; mental health services were the most common way of coping. Geographically, the evidence base was dominated by studies from high-income countries. Co-occurrence of natural disasters and psychological distress was common. Psychological distress was one of the top three most frequent topics in all continents except Africa, where infectious diseases was the most prevalent topic. Our findings demonstrated the importance and feasibility of using NLP to comprehensively map natural disasters and human health in the growing literature. The review identifies clear topics for future clinical and public health research and can provide an empirical basis for reducing the negative health effects of natural disasters.

Disaster Preparedness in Hospitals

Disaster preparedness in hospitals is a critical global concern that involves proactive measures to mitigate the impact of natural or artificial disasters. The review emphasizes the role of organizations such as India's National Disaster Management Authority in the development of response strategies. Hospitals face challenges in protecting facilities and healthcare workers during disasters, highlighting the need for effective training, equipment, and communication access. Differentiating disasters into natural, technological, and artificial types showcases the varied challenges each presents. Key challenges include resource allocation, interoperability of the communication system, evacuation strategies, and ethical considerations. Essential strategies include risk assessment, staff training, communication, and collaboration with external partners. Hospital disaster preparedness requires a comprehensive approach that involves strategies, training, and community participation to ensure safety during emergencies.

The influence of climate change on mental health in populations of the western Pacific region: An umbrella scoping review

The Western Pacific Region (WPR) is on the front line of climate change challenges. Understanding how these challenges affect the WPR populations' mental health is essential to design effective prevention and care policies. Thus, the present study conducted an umbrella scoping review that examined the influence of climate change on mental health in the WPR, using review articles as a source of information. Ten review articles were selected according to eligibility criteria, and the findings were synthesized according to the socio-economic status of the countries identified: Australia, the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, Vietnam, the Pacific Islands (broadly), and China. The findings revealed that each country and sub-region has its own unique profile of climate change-related challenges and vulnerable populations, highlighting the need for specific approaches to mental health care. Specifically, the influence of climate-related challenges differed according to populations' region (e.g., rural populations), demographic characteristics (e.g., age and gender), culture (e.g., traditional tights to land), and employment (e.g., farmers and fishers). The most frequently reported mental health outcomes in response to climate change-related challenges such as droughts, floods, storms, tornadoes, typhoons, and climate-related migration were the decline in mental well-being and the increase in post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. In addition, using the GRADE framework for assessing the certainty of the findings, we identified that the number of articles discussing associations between a given climate change challenge and a mental health outcome was overall limited. Based on our findings and findings on a global scale, we identified several key research gaps in WPR and provided recommendations for future research and policy strategies.

Association between natural hazards and postnatal care among the neonates in India: a step towards full coverage using geospatial approach

BACKGROUND

Postnatal care is crucial to prevent the child mortality. Despite the improvement in the PNC coverage for the neonates, it is still far away from the universal health coverage. Along with, some specific regions mostly are natural hazard prone areas of India show very under coverage of PNC for the neonates. Considering the substantial spatial variation of PNC coverage and natural hazard prevalence, present study aimed to examine spatial variation of PNC coverage and its association with natural hazard at the district level.

METHODS

The cross-sectional exploratory study utilized National Family Health Survey, 2019-21, which included 1,76,843 children using multistage stratified sampling method to examine postnatal care within 42 days for neonates born within five years prior to the survey. Additionally, the study utilized Vulnerability Atlas of India,2019 maps to categorize regions into hazardous (flood, earthquake, and landslide) and non-hazardous areas. Spatial univariate and bivariate analyses, logistic and geographically weighted regressions were conducted using ArcGIS Pro, GeoDa, and Stata 16.0 software to identify associations between PNC coverage, hazard exposure, and spatial variation.

RESULTS

The univariate spatial analysis showed some specific regions such as north, east, and north-east region of India had a high concentration of natural hazard and low access of PNC coverage. Bivariate analysis also showed that PNC coverage was low in flood (75.9%), earthquake (68.3%), and landslide (80.6%) effected areas. Compared to the national PNC coverage (81.1%), all these natural hazards effected areas showed low coverage. Further, logic regression showed that these hazard prone areas were less (OR:0.85 for flood, 0.77 for earthquake, and 0.77 for landslide) likely to get PNC coverage than their counterparts. LISA cluster maps significantly showed low PNC and high disaster concentration in these disaster-prone areas. Geographic weighted regression results also showed similar result.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study elucidates notable heterogeneity in the coverage of postnatal care (PNC) services, with lower concentrations observed in disaster-prone areas. In order to enhance the accessibility and quality of PNC services in these areas, targeted interventions such as the deployment of mobile health services and fortification of health systems are recommended.

Prevalence of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder After Flood: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Introduction

Flood as the most common kind of the natural disasters has unpleased short, medium, and long-term consequences on the victims' welfare, relationships, and physical and mental health. One of the most common mental health disorders in these victims is Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of PTSD on the flood victims.

Methods

Data resources including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, Embase, Google Scholar, conference and congress papers, key journals, the reference list of selected articles as well as systematic reviews were searched to identify studies that reported the prevalence of PTSD in flood victims. Random Effect Model was used to perform meta-analysis of the studies. Cochran test and I2 indicator were used to explore heterogeneity between the studies. Publication bias of the study was evaluated using Begg'test. Data were analyzed by STATA (version 14) software.

Results

After a comprehensive search, 515 papers were extracted. After eliminating duplicates and final screening, 23 studies were selected and entered the meta-analysis phase after qualitative evaluation. The results showed that the prevalence of PTSD in flood victims is 29.48% (95% CI: 18.64-40.31, I2 = 99.3%, p-value < 0.001).

Conclusion

The results of the present study showed that the prevalence of PTSD is relatively high in the flood victims. So, it is necessary to take preventive, supportive, therapeutic and effective actions for them.

Knowledge, attitude, practice and perceived barriers of natural disaster preparedness among Nepalese immigrants residing in Japan

Background

Natural disasters have increased during the last several decades all over the world. Due to its geographical and climate conditions, Japan has long been vulnerable to several natural disasters. Coping with disasters is a major challenge overall and even harder for foreigners residing in Japan. Thus, the objective of this study was to examine the perceived knowledge, attitude, practice and perceived barriers of disaster preparedness among Nepalese immigrants in Japan.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted among Nepalese immigrants residing in Japan with an online survey questionnaire. The questionnaire was validated and then administered. The participants were recruited via Facebook for this survey. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the factors associated with the perceived knowledge, attitude and practice of Nepalese immigrants regarding disaster preparedness.

Results

A total of 404 respondents were analyzed in this study and among them two-third were male. We found that the mean score of disaster preparedness practice was lowest than the knowledge and attitude (mean \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\pm SD$$\end{document}±SD = 15.86 \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\pm$$\end{document}± 5.52) as evidenced by the majority of the participants not being prepared for disaster situations and a limited proportion had ever taken necessary natural disaster preparedness measures. Japanese language was identified as the major barrier in assessing the knowledge, attitude and practice regarding disaster preparedness and was significantly associated with the knowledge level of disaster preparedness after adjusting for some socio-demographic covariates. (aOR: 1.84, 95% CI: (1.04 – 3.25)).

Conclusions

This study observed that the perceived knowledge and practices regarding natural disasters are very poor while barriers to access these are substantial among Nepalese immigrants in Japan. As Japanese language was identified as a major barrier, the availability of language translation services in every health care sector also in the government offices of Japan might encourage people to learn more about disaster preparedness.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-022-12844-3.

Systematic media review: A novel method to assess mass-trauma epidemiology in absence of databases-A pilot-study in Rwanda

Objective

Surge capacity refers to preparedness of health systems to face sudden patient inflows, such as mass-casualty incidents (MCI). To strengthen surge capacity, it is essential to understand MCI epidemiology, which is poorly studied in low- and middle-income countries lacking trauma databases. We propose a novel approach, the “systematic media review”, to analyze mass-trauma epidemiology; here piloted in Rwanda.

Methods

A systematic media review of non-academic publications of MCIs in Rwanda between January 1^st, 2010, and September 1^st, 2020 was conducted using NexisUni, an academic database for news, business, and legal sources previously used in sociolegal research. All articles identified by the search strategy were screened using eligibility criteria. Data were extracted in a RedCap form and analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Findings

Of 3187 articles identified, 247 met inclusion criteria. In total, 117 MCIs were described, of which 73 (62.4%) were road-traffic accidents, 23 (19.7%) natural hazards, 20 (17.1%) acts of violence/terrorism, and 1 (0.09%) boat collision. Of Rwanda’s 30 Districts, 29 were affected by mass-trauma, with the rural Western province most frequently affected. Road-traffic accidents was the leading MCI until 2017 when natural hazards became most common. The median number of injured persons per event was 11 (IQR 5–18), and median on-site deaths was 2 (IQR 1–6); with natural hazards having the highest median deaths (6 [IQR 2–18]).

Conclusion

In Rwanda, MCIs have decreased, although landslides/floods are increasing, preventing a decrease in trauma-related mortality. By training journalists in “mass-casualty reporting”, the potential of the “systematic media review” could be further enhanced, as a way to collect MCI data in settings without databases.

Identifying and Describing Impact of Disasters on Non-Communicable Diseases: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Patients with non-communicable diseases are vulnerable to disasters. This is a systematic review describing the impact of disasters on non-communicable diseases.

METHODS

A systematic review was conducted using PRISMA standards. Relevant articles published from 1997 to 2019 collected by searching the Scopus, PubMed, Science Direct, databases. We specifically examined reports describing NCDs and including the key words "non-communicable disease and Disasters". NCDs included cardiovascular, respiratory, diabetes, cancer and mental health diseases.

RESULTS

Of the 663 studies identified, only 48 articles met all the eligibility criteria. Most studies have shown the impact of all natural disasters on non-communicable diseases (39.8% n=19). The largest study was the effect of earthquakes on non-communicable diseases (29.2% n=14). For the NCDs targeted by this research, most of the included studies were a combination of four diseases: cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, diabetes and cancer (44% n=21). Followed by cardiovascular disease (14.6% n=7), chronic respiratory disease (12.5% n=6), diabetes and cancer (6.2% n=3) and mental health (12.5% n=6).

CONCLUSION

The incidence of disasters affects the management of treatment and care for patients with NCDs. Specific measures include a multi-part approach to ensuring that patients with non-communicable diseases have access to life-saving services during and after disasters. The approach of the health system should be expanded from traditional approaches to disasters and requires comprehensive planning of health care by policy makers and health professionals to develop effective strategies to enable patients to access medical, therapeutic and diagnostic services in natural disasters.

Providing APPE pharmacy students rural health assessment experience following wildfire event in western Montana

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

We describe a novel, interprofessional, experiential training involving pharmacy students in response to a health emergency in rural Montana (MT).

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING

Fourth-year pharmacy students on clinical rotations were recruited to participate in screening events assessing effects of wildfire smoke in Seeley Lake, MT. Students were required to fulfill at least two hours of supplementary training in addition to education on human research guidelines. Students assisted with patient surveys (demographics, health, and respiratory), physiological testing with biomedical researchers, blood pressure and medication counseling, and spirometry specialists.

FINDINGS

At least 20 pharmacy students have participated in this project in addition to nursing (n = 8), public health (n = 1), and social work (n = 1) students. In initial and subsequent screenings, students worked alongside a team of biomedical researchers and faculty from the University of Montana. An initial cohort of 95 patients was recruited.

SUMMARY

This unique experiential training opportunity has afforded pharmacy students access to rural community patient interaction and exposure to and performance of a variety of tests in response to an environmental health emergency. Furthermore, it enabled health professionals and researchers to assess individual and overall community health following an extreme wildfire smoke event, providing the groundwork for utilization of pharmacy students in healthcare responses to public health emergencies.

Establishing the Status of Patients With Non-Communicable Diseases in Disaster: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVE

People with NCDs are particularly vulnerable to disasters. This research systematically reviewed reports describing studies on the status of patients with NCDs before, during and after disasters.

METHOD

Relevant articles published from 1997 to 2019 were collected by searching the Scopus, PubMed, and Science Direct databases. We specifically examined reports describing NCDs and including the key words 'Non-Communicable Disease and Disasters.' NCDs include cardiovascular, respiratory, diabetes and cancer diseases.

RESULTS

The review identified 42 relevant articles. Most of the included studies were found to have described the conditions of patients with NCDs after disasters - 14 (13.3%), during disasters - 11 (26.2%), before disasters - 6 (14.3%), within all stages of disasters: before, during and after - 6 (14.3%), only during and after disasters - 4 (9.5%), and includes before and during disasters - 1 (2.4%).

CONCLUSION

NCDs pose major health issues in disasters. Development of strong counter measures against the interruption of treatment, as well as surveillance systems to ascertain medical needs for NCDs are necessary as preparation for future disasters.

Non-communicable diseases in disasters: a protocol for a systematic review

Background:

NCDs require an ongoing management for optimal outcomes, which is challenging in emergency settings, because natural disasters increase the risk of acute NCD exacerbations and lead to health systems’ inability to respond. This study aims to develop a protocol for a systematic review on non-communicable diseases in natural disaster settings.

Methods:

This systematic review protocol is submitted to the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (Registration No. CRD42020164032). The electronic databases to be used in this study include: Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, Clinical Key, CINAHL, EBSCO, Ovid, EMBASE, ProQuest, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library (Cochrane database of systematic reviews; Cochrane central Register of controlled Trials). Records from 1997 to 2019 are subject to this investigation. Three independent researchers will review the titles, abstracts, and full texts of articles eligible for inclusion, and if not matched, they will be reviewed by a final fourth reviewer. The proposed systematic review will be reported in accordance with the reporting guideline provided in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement. We select studies based on: PICOs (Participants, Interventions, Comparators, and Outcomes).

Results:

This systematic review identifies any impacts of natural disasters on patients with NCDs in three stages i.e. before, during and in the aftermath of natural disasters.

Conclusions:

A comprehensive response to NCD management in natural disasters is an important but neglected aspect of non-communicable disease control and humanitarian response, which can significantly reduce the potential risk of morbidity and mortality associated with natural disasters.

The Most Stressful Events during the COVID-19 Epidemic

Objective: Stressful events increase in traumatic conditions. Coronavirus is a new and serious challenge and significant public health problem, which can cause different stressors. This study has identified stressful events experienced by Iranian adults during the COVID-19 epidemic. Method: Data on stressful events during the COVID-19 epidemic were collected online from 418 adults (mean age 37.16 years; 57.4% female and 42.6% male) using quota sampling method. Epidemic Stressful Events Checklist was applied for data collection. Data were analyzed by applying descriptive graphs and tables, the independent sample t-test, the Fisher's F test, and post hoc Bonferroni test. Results: The most frequent stressful event was rise in essential goods prices (84.7%); however, its perceived stress was not at the highest level. The highest severity of perceived stress was related to the death of a family member (4.83) due to COVID-19 infection, which was an event with the least occurrence, and the lowest severity of perceived stress was related to medical team performance (2.50). The results showed the severity of perceived stress is higher in women than men (t = 3.42; P value < 0.01) and also in the laboring occupations compared to other occupations (F = 3.18; P value < 0.05). Conclusion: Traumatic events can lead to more serious concerns, eg., worrying about those we love, concerns about the future of our life, and about what politicians and macro planners will do to protect our lives. Moreover, traumatic events can cause concerns about food, basic needs, and lack of resources to survive.

A Retrospective Analysis of Mortality From 2015 Gorkha Earthquakes of Nepal: Evidence and Future Recommendations

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to explore the mortality pattern due to Gorkha earthquakes in 2015 and review the response and recovery efforts immediately following the earthquakes.

METHODS

Data from published reports of the Nepal Police showed over 8000 deaths. These death counts were categorized by gender, ethnicity, and age groups (interval of 5 years). The mortality rate was calculated (per 100 000 population), using the projected population as the denominator as of April 2015.

RESULTS

Children < 10 years and older adults > 55 years showed a higher rate of deaths, with similar trends for the most affected districts. Almost 8 more females' deaths were reported per 100 000 population compared with their male counterparts. There was a higher death rate from Province 3 with a notable gender difference: Nearly 20 more females' deaths were reported per 100 000 population compared with their male counterparts. There was a higher death rate in mountains (542.4 per 100 000) compared with hills (55.0 per 100 000) and the southern Terai region (0.96 per 100 000) of Nepal.

CONCLUSIONS

Young and older adults, female, and residents of remote, mountainous regions of Nepal were vulnerable to the earthquakes. Future earthquake preparedness should focus on the vulnerable population by age and gender and the geographical accessibility.

Health-Related Quality of Life After the 2015 Gorkha Earthquakes, Among Older Adults Living in Lalitpur District of Central Nepal

OBJECTIVE

Health-related quality of life (HQL) among older adults is often neglected and underprioritized in developing countries and is further burdened during natural disasters, such as earthquakes. The main objective of this study was to explore the factors affecting HQL among older adults living in Lalitpur District of Nepal.

METHODS

A total of 362 older adults participated in this study. Questionnaires were used to interview the respondents on various aspects, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, functional ability, and social support. An analysis was made to explore the factors affecting HQL.

RESULTS

HQL scores ranged between 3.13 and 90.63. A majority of the respondents (215/362; 59.4%) scored ≤ 50, indicating poorer HQL. The multivariate analysis found the impact of the following factors on HQL: functional status (β = 0.295; P < 0.001), PTSD (β = -0.225; P < 0.001), chronic disease (β = -0.168; P < 0.001), social support (β = 0.120; P = 0.019), injury (β = -0.104; P = 0.024), age (β = -0.116; P < 0.001), and accessibility to resources.

CONCLUSION

Poor HQL of older adults was dependent on various factors. The disaster preparedness program in Nepal needs urgent attention to address the concerns of older adults by incorporating the findings from this study.

Food-Related Health Emergency-Disaster Risk Reduction in Rural Ethnic Minority Communities: A Pilot Study of Knowledge, Awareness and Practice of Food Labelling and Salt-intake Reduction in a Kunge Community in China

Food safety and unhealthy dietary pattern are important global health problems. Understanding food-related health needs and providing corresponding support are important to health risk reduction. A needs assessment, education intervention for food labelling, and another intervention for salt-intake reduction were conducted in a rural Kunge community in Yunnan, China in 2014, 2015 and 2016, respectively. Not checking the expiry date of packaged food (37.1%) and a high salt diet (53.9%) were the most common problems in the community. Both topics were selected for education intervention. Pre- and post-intervention questionnaires were used to evaluate the effectiveness. Education interventions were found effective in improving food-health-related knowledge, changing attitudes toward behaviors such as willingness to read food labels before buying and consuming packaged food. However, no significant improvements were found for the attitudes toward not consuming expired food, controlling salt-intake, and decreasing the consumption of cured food. Health education was shown to be effective in promoting food-health-related knowledge but was limited in changing relevant behaviors in a rural ethnic minority community.

Is Urban Household Emergency Preparedness Associated with Short-Term Impact Reduction after a Super Typhoon in Subtropical City?

Climate change-related extreme events are increasing in frequency and severity. Understanding household emergency preparedness capacity in Health-Emergency and Disaster Risk Management (Health-EDRM) for at risk urban communities is limited. The main objective of the study is to explore the association among risk perception, household preparedness, and the self-reported short-term impacts of Typhoons for urban residents. A population-based, cross-sectional telephone survey using random digit-dialling was conducted among Hong Kong adults within 2 weeks following 2018 Typhoon Mangkhut, the most intense typhoon that affected Hong Kong, a subtropical city, in thirty years. Among the 521 respondents, 93.9% and 74.3% reported some form of emergency preparedness and typhoon-specific preparedness measure (TSPM) against Mangkhut, respectively. Respondents who perceived a higher risk at home during typhoons and had practiced routine emergency preparedness measures (during nonemergency periods) were more likely to undertake TSPM. Of the respondents, 33.4% reported some form of impact (11.1% were household-specific) by Typhoon Mangkhut. Practicing TSPM was not associated with the reduction of short-term household impacts. Current preparedness measures may be insufficient to address the impact of super typhoons. Strategies for health-EDRM for urban residents will be needed to cope with increasing climate change-related extreme events.