Impact of a Fireworks Disaster on Health Problems and Service Use
Author Information
Author(s): Soeteman Rik JH, Yzermans C Joris, Spreeuwenberg Peter, Lagro-Janssen Toine ALM, van den Bosch Wil JHM, van der Zee Jouke
Primary Institution: NIVEL, Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research
Hypothesis
Women and younger age groups will have elevated rates of psychological problems and increased service utilization post-disaster compared to pre-disaster levels.
Conclusion
Gender and age did not appear to be disaster-related risk factors in this study, suggesting that family practitioners should not focus specifically on these groups post-disaster.
Supporting Evidence
- Utilization rates increased significantly in the first post-disaster year for both genders.
- Psychological problems increased significantly for both genders in the first post-disaster year.
- Gender and age did not show significant differences in post-disaster health problems.
Takeaway
After a big disaster, both men and women of all ages had similar health problems, so doctors shouldn't worry more about women or younger people.
Methodology
Matched cohort study with pre-disaster and post-disaster data collected from family practitioners over six years.
Potential Biases
Potential overrepresentation of post-disaster psychological problems due to the familiarity of family practitioners with their patients.
Limitations
The study could not confirm individual exposure to the disaster and relied on existing registries, which may not capture all relevant data.
Participant Demographics
Participants included 3164 affected residents matched with 3164 community controls, with a gender distribution of 52% male.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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