The effect of floods on anemia among reproductive age women in Afghanistan. [14.02.18]
Floods influence anemia via several channels but particularly by reducing the intake of such vital nutrients as iron, zinc and, vitamins through the destruction of crops and livestock. They also have a well-documented effect on water borne diseases—including gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases, skin infections, and leptospirosis —which can also result in anemia. Lastly, given the damage that floods wreak on lives and livelihoods (especially in developing countries like Afghanistan where insurance is rare), they generate psychological stress in those affected that itself can cause a decrease in serum iron and/or affect erythropoiesis. (Oskorouchi et al.)
Relief for Kabul flood victims | Bild-Quelle: U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Cecilio M. Ricardo Jr.
Original paper:
Oskorouchi HR1,2,3, Nie P1, Sousa-Poza A1,4. The effect of floods on anemia among reproductive age women in Afghanistan. PLoS One. 2018 Feb 9;13(2):e0191726. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0191726. eCollection 2018.
- Institute for Health Care & Public Management, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 48, Kavalierhaus 4, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany.
- Department of Economics and Management, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
- Department of Economics and Management, University of Trento, Trento, Italy.
- IZA, Bonn, Germany.
Abstract
This study uses biomarker information from the 2013 National Nutrition Survey Afghanistan and satellite precipitation driven modeling results from the Global Flood Monitoring System to analyze how floods affect the probability of anemia in Afghan women of reproductive age (15-49). In addition to establishing a causal relation between the two by exploiting the quasi-random variation of floods in different districts and periods, the analysis demonstrates that floods have a significant positive effect on the probability of anemia through two possible transmission mechanisms. The first is a significant effect on inflammation, probably related to water borne diseases carried by unsafe drinking water, and the second is a significant negative effect on retinol concentrations. Because the effect of floods on anemia remains significant even after we control for anemia's most common causes, we argue that the condition may also be affected by elevated levels of psychological stress.
PMID: 29425219 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0191726 |
