Evaluating the Health Impacts of Disasters on Youths
FY22 SI-GECS Type 2
Abstract
Disasters have a clear toll on individual and population health. As many as 14% of youth in the United States experience a disaster before reaching adulthood (Becker-Blease et al., 2010). Further, climate change is projected to exacerbate human exposure to disasters.
A vital barrier to addressing the health impacts of disasters is a lack of understanding of how disasters affect youth health behaviors. This study will address this critical gap by evaluating the impact of Hurricane Sandy (October 2012) on youth mental health and health behaviors. We will use the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a biennial school-based survey of health-related behaviors among adolescents in the United States, and the Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System, an annual phone-based survey of health-related behaviors among adults aged 18+ years across 136 metropolitan statistical areas in the United States. Both surveys included representative samples of youth located in the direct path of Hurricane Sandy and information on mental health indicators across a range of health behaviors, including substance use, sleep, and sexual health. Using data from 2005-2019, we will estimate difference-in-differences models to compare the mental health and health behaviors of youth in the direct path of Hurricane Sandy to those at further distances.
Presentations
- Cumulative weather-related disaster exposure and youth depression, Natural Hazards Research and Applications Conference, July 2022
- Evaluating Mental and Behavioral Health Impacts of a Disaster on Youth, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Conference, November 2022
- Weather-related disaster exposure and past-year depression and suicide attempts in youth, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Conference, November 2022
- Developmental Impacts of Environmental Injustices, Society for Research in Child Development Conference, March 2023
- Building a pipeline of, and the capacity, for pediatric disaster scientists, National Academies Forum, August 2022
- Community-based participatory research and school interventions. Action Collaborative on Disaster Research on Medical and Public Health Preparedness for Disasters and Emergencies, National Academies Forum, August 2022
- Data-driven approaches to understanding disaster vulnerability and advancing equity, Natural Hazards Workshop panelist, July 2022
Publications in Progress
- Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System Data paper examining youth mental health and health behaviors pre- and post-disaster. (Journal of Affective Disorders)
- Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data examining mental health and health behaviors pre- and post-disaster, considering mental health as a moderator.
Proposals submitted
- An R03 submission to the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (advised to resubmit)
- A letter of intent to the Burroughs Wellcome Fund (declined)
Media
- McDonough, M. (2022, June 1). Children and natural disasters. Boston College Magazine.
- Hagerty, C. (2022, May 31). Paradise High School class of 2022: Freshmen during a wildfire and seniors during a pandemic. Teen Vogue.
- Stern, E.A. (2022, January 28). Low-income schools more vulnerable to disasters, government report says. United Press International.
- Thompson, B., Demings, V., & Payne, D. (2022, January 12). Letter from the Committee on Homeland Security to the Secretaries of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Lai’s work is cited in this letter.
- Modan, N. (2022, January 19). GAO: Schools with vulnerable students face ‘heightened challenges’ post-natural disaster. K-12 Dive.
- United States Government Accountability Office. (U.S. G.A.O.). (2022, January). Report to Congressional Committees: Disaster Recovery. School districts in socially vulnerable communities faced heightened challenges after recent natural disasters.
- Forstadt, J., & Taylor-Vuolo, P. (2021, November 17). How one Steuben County family deals with the emotional aftermath of flooding. WSKG (NPR member station).
- Santoro, H. (2021, November 1). The daunting but vital world of grant writing. The Monitor on Psychology.
- Sax. S. (2021, October 8). Home after fire: A new housing model aims to give kids stability. High Country News.
- Lozano, A. (2021, September 18). Camp for kids traumatized by natural disasters offers space for healing. Appeared on MSN, Today, NBCNews, and promoted by the American Psychological Association.
- Lozano, A. (2021, September 18). Free, pop-up day camp becomes a home away from home for kids displaced by wildfires. Yahoo!News.
Additional Accomplishments
- Dr. Lai was named a 2023 Public Voices Fellow with the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication
- Guest lecturer in two classes