The Effect of an Earthquake Experienced During Pregnancy on Maternal Health and Birth Outcomes.

Objective: Maternal health in pregnancy and birth outcomes were compared between pre- and post-Varzaghan earthquake.

Methods: In this retrospective descriptive study, before and after the earthquake, 550 and 450 women were enrolled respectively. Neonatal weight, height, and head circumference, as well as maternal weight gain and hemoglobin (Hb) levels were obtained using medical records at health centers. Chi-square test and Independent t-test were used to analyze differences in pregnancy outcomes. A -value less than 0.05 was considered significant.

Results: A significant increase in inadequate gestational weight gain (44.1% vs 58.9%) was observed ( = 0.043) before and after the earthquake. The mean hemoglobin level in the first trimester before the earthquake was significantly higher than after the earthquake ( = 0.001). Before-after earthquake comparisons showed that the mean birth weight, birth height, and birth head circumference were decreased significantly ( < 0.05). In addition, the rates of preterm birth (18.91% vs 10.90%), abortion (17.11% vs 10.54%), and stillbirth (3.78% vs 1.82%) were increased significantly after the earthquake ( < 0.05).

Conclusions: Earthquake causes inadequate gestational weight gain and decreased hemoglobin levels, which lead to adverse birth outcomes. More longitudinal and well-designed studies are desired to investigate the longitudinal consequences of disasters on susceptible groups.