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Natural Disaster Epidemiology and Reproductive Health

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Abstract

Purpose of Review

To examine epidemiologic concepts related to research conducted on reproductive health after disaster, summarize the current state of the literature on how disaster affects reproductive health, and report on interventions to mitigate disaster outcomes.

Recent Findings

Many disaster epidemiologic studies of pregnancy rely on vital statistics. Issues like timeliness of research, migration of affected communities, and convenience sampling are important to consider in research design and interpretation. The few interventions in pregnant populations after disaster focus on mental health, with mixed results.

Summary

Disaster research intrinsically has challenges due to the disruption that disasters pose to communities. Disasters’ effects on fertility and infant outcomes like preterm birth and low birthweight have been well-studied, generally indicating negative effects. Research gaps exist relative to hypertensive diseases of pregnancy, gestational diabetes, and miscarriage. Interventions centered around preventing negative reproductive health outcomes in post-disaster settings are few.

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Data Availability

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References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance

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Funding

This work was partially supported by National Academy of Sciences grant SCON-10000644.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Epidemiology #8318, 1440 Canal St Ste 2001, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA

    Emily W. Harville

  2. Department of Social, Behavioral, and Population Sciences, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Bianka Northland

  3. Tulane School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Bianka Northland

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EWH and BN wrote the main manuscript text. EWH prepared the table. All authors reviewed the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Emily W. Harville.

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Harville, E.W., Northland, B. Natural Disaster Epidemiology and Reproductive Health. Curr Epidemiol Rep 10, 169–185 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40471-023-00329-9

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