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He C, Zhu Y, Zhou L, Bachwenkizi J, Schneider A, Chen R, Kan H. Flood exposure and pregnancy loss in 33 developing countries. Nat Commun 2024; 15:20. [PMID: 38167351 PMCID: PMC10761804 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44508-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Floods have affected billions worldwide. Yet, the indirect health impacts of floods on vulnerable groups, particularly women in the developing world, remain underexplored. Here, we evaluated the risk of pregnancy loss for women exposed to floods. We analyzed 90,465 individual pregnancy loss records from 33 developing countries, cross-referencing each with spatial-temporal flood databases. We found that gestational flood exposure is associated with increased pregnancy loss with an odds ratio of 1.08 (95% confidence interval: 1.04 - 1.11). This risk is pronounced for women outside the peak reproductive age range (<21 or >35) or during the mid and late-stage of pregnancy. The risk escalated for women dependent on surface water, with lower income or education levels. We estimated that, over the 2010s, gestational flood events might be responsible for approximately 107,888 (CIs: 53,944 - 148,345) excess pregnancy losses annually across 33 developing countries. Notably, there is a consistent upward trend in annual excess pregnancy losses from 2010 to 2020, and was more prominent over Central America, the Caribbean, South America, and South Asia. Our findings underscore the disparities in maternal and child health aggravated by flood events in an evolving climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng He
- School of Public Health, Key Lab of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education, NHC Key Lab of Health Technology Assessment, IRDR ICoE on Risk Interconnectivity and Governance on Weather/Climate Extremes Impact and Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Yixiang Zhu
- School of Public Health, Key Lab of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education, NHC Key Lab of Health Technology Assessment, IRDR ICoE on Risk Interconnectivity and Governance on Weather/Climate Extremes Impact and Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lu Zhou
- School of Public Health, Key Lab of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education, NHC Key Lab of Health Technology Assessment, IRDR ICoE on Risk Interconnectivity and Governance on Weather/Climate Extremes Impact and Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jovine Bachwenkizi
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Alexandra Schneider
- Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Renjie Chen
- School of Public Health, Key Lab of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education, NHC Key Lab of Health Technology Assessment, IRDR ICoE on Risk Interconnectivity and Governance on Weather/Climate Extremes Impact and Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Haidong Kan
- School of Public Health, Key Lab of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education, NHC Key Lab of Health Technology Assessment, IRDR ICoE on Risk Interconnectivity and Governance on Weather/Climate Extremes Impact and Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
- Children's Hospital of Fudan University, National Center for Children's Health, Shanghai, China.
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Chiu L. Climate change and mental health: Global challenges for psychosocial resilience and recovery. Australas Psychiatry 2023; 31:795-797. [PMID: 37906158 DOI: 10.1177/10398562231211115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE As the greatest global challenge of our time, climate change is not only an ecological crisis but also a humanitarian one. Climate action is a defining opportunity to not only collectively mend ecological health and biodiversity but also to advance psychosocial resilience and social cohesion. This essay aims to understand the interconnectedness between climate change and mental health, as well as explore ways in which this can be transformed into a mobilising force. CONCLUSIONS The ramifications of climate change on mental health are complex, and there continues to be expanding knowledge on this through research undertaken out of heightening urgency. With knowledge of this, global recovery will require meaningful and transformative action that addresses the interconnection between climate change, mental health, and social injustice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Chiu
- Department of Psychiatry, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Australia
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Azhar A, Taimuri MA. Mental health issues following sexual assault among the flood-affected women of Pakistan. Arch Womens Ment Health 2023; 26:717-718. [PMID: 37544931 DOI: 10.1007/s00737-023-01361-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ayesha Azhar
- Department of Internal Medicine, Dow University of Health Sciences, Baba-e-Urdu Road, 74200, Karachi, Pakistan.
| | - Muskan Asim Taimuri
- Department of Internal Medicine, Dow University of Health Sciences, Baba-e-Urdu Road, 74200, Karachi, Pakistan
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