Changes in the pattern of service utilisation and health problems of women, men and various age groups following a destructive disaster: a matched cohort study with a pre-disaster assessment.

Objectives: Female gender and young age are known risk factors for psychological morbidity after a disaster, but this conclusion is based on studies without a pre-disaster assessment. The aim of this study in family practice was to investigate if these supposed risk factors would still occur in a study design with a pre-disaster measurement.

Methods: A matched cohort study with pre-disaster (one year) and post-disaster (five years) data.

Health problems presented to family practices in the Netherlands 1 year before and 1 year after a disaster.

Background: Disasters often have negative health consequences. Studies of health problems presented in family practice before and after a disaster are rare. The present study analyzed health problems before and after a disaster and predictors of increased morbidity after the disaster as presented in family practice.

The course of post-disaster health problems of victims with pre-disaster psychological problems as presented in general practice.

Background: Survivors of disaster with pre-disaster psychological problems are believed to be at risk for presenting post-disaster psychological and physical morbidity. Up till now this statement is based on cross-sectional studies with self-reported data and without pre-disaster measurement.

Objective: To monitor post-disaster health care utilization and morbidity presented in general practice after a man-made disaster by victims and controls with and without pre-disaster psychological problems.

Health problems of victims before and after disaster: a longitudinal study in general practice.

Background: We aimed to quantify the health problems and to assess the possible risk factors for developing health problems in persons affected by the explosion of a firework depot at Enschede, The Netherlands, on May 13, 2000. The explosion considerably damaged buildings in the local neighbourhood and caused 22 immediate deaths and injuries in over 1000 people.

Methods: A longitudinal study of (89% of all) victims (n = 9329) and controls (n = 7392) with pre-disaster baseline morbidity for 16 months and post-disaster data for 2.