Lessons from Hurricane Katrina for predicting the indirect health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, 06510.

Published: June 2020

Beyond their immediate effects on mortality, disasters have widespread, indirect impacts on mental and physical well-being by exposing survivors to stress and potential trauma. Identifying the disaster-related stressors that predict health adversity will help officials prepare for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Using data from a prospective study of young, low-income mothers who survived Hurricane Katrina, we find that bereavement, fearing for loved ones' well-being, and lacking access to medical care and medications predict adverse mental and physical health 1 y postdisaster, and some effects persist 12 y later. Adjusting for preexisting health and socioeconomic conditions attenuates, but does not eliminate, these associations. The findings, while drawn from a demographically unique sample, suggest that, to mitigate the indirect effects of COVID-19, lapses in medical care and medication use must be minimized, and public health resources should be directed to those with preexisting medical conditions, their social networks, and the bereaved.

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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7293707PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2006706117DOI Listing

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