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

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (23) ◽  
pp. 12595-12597 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ethan J. Raker ◽  
Meghan Zacher ◽  
Sarah R. Lowe
Keyword(s):  
Medical Care ◽  
Hurricane Katrina ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Health Resources ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Access To Medical Care ◽  
Indirect Impacts ◽  
Low Income Mothers ◽  
A Prospective Study

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.

scholarly journals Physical Health Symptoms and Hurricane Katrina: Individual Trajectories of Development and Recovery More Than a Decade After the Storm

2021 ◽  
Vol 111 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-135
Author(s):  
Meghan Zacher ◽  
Ethan J. Raker ◽  
Mariana C. Arcaya ◽  
Sarah R. Lowe ◽  
Jean Rhodes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Health ◽  
Hurricane Katrina ◽  
New Orleans ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Logistic Regressions ◽  
Back Problems ◽  
Low Income Mothers

Objectives. To examine how physical health symptoms developed and resolved in response to Hurricane Katrina. Methods. We used data from a 2003 to 2018 study of young, low-income mothers who were living in New Orleans, Louisiana, when Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005 (n = 276). We fit logistic regressions to model the odds of first reporting or “developing” headaches or migraines, back problems, and digestive problems, and of experiencing remission or “recovery” from previously reported symptoms, across surveys. Results. The prevalence of each symptom increased after Hurricane Katrina, but the odds of developing symptoms shortly before versus after the storm were comparable. The number of traumatic experiences endured during Hurricane Katrina increased the odds of developing back and digestive problems just after the hurricane. Headaches or migraines and back problems that developed shortly after Hurricane Katrina were more likely to resolve than those that developed just before the storm. Conclusions. While traumatic experiences endured in disasters such as Hurricane Katrina appear to prompt the development of new physical symptoms, disaster-induced symptoms may be less likely to persist or become chronic than those emerging for other reasons.

Thoughts on the Law and the Public's Health

1994 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Burris
Keyword(s):  
Medical Care ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Body ◽  
Current Debate ◽  
Payment Reform ◽  
Mortality Statistics ◽  
Physical Environments ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Access To Medical Care ◽  
High Level

One understanding of health conceives of it as a state of freedom from pathology, achieved by an individual, through the mediation of a doctor. On this view, improvements in health flow from the application of science to specific ills of the body, and access to medical care is the chief determinant of health. This “medicalized” view of health underlies the current debate over medical care payment reform. This is the dominant way of talking about health.An alternative is the view of health commonly associated with the practice of public health. On this view, health is an attribute of communities in social and physical environments. Health takes its shape in large numbers—in morbidity and mortality statistics—and, ideally, includes not just a high level of well-being for some, but also its even distribution throughout a society. Improvements in health are seen to arise from healthful changes in the environment.

The Challenges of Idealized Mothering

Affilia ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert H. Keefe ◽  
Carol Brownstein-Evans ◽  
Rebecca S. Rouland Polmanteer
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Limited Resources ◽  
New Mothers ◽  
Marginalized Groups ◽  
Good Mother ◽  
White Mothers ◽  
Feminist Perspectives ◽  
Mothers Of Color ◽  
Low Income Mothers

Being a good mother is the highest calling for many women. However, the demands of being a “good mother” can be stressful, especially during pregnancy and the first 2 years postpartum. For many low-income mothers from marginalized groups facing multiple responsibilities with limited resources, the stress of new mothering can lead to postpartum depression (PPD). Although PPD affects roughly 12% of all white mothers, at least 3 times as many mothers of color (38%) have been found to experience PPD. In this study, 30 low-income mothers of color with histories of PPD were interviewed about how they viewed being a good mother while living with PPD. Their views of “good mother” emerged during the interviews, which uncovered four major themes: being strong mothers, juggling responsibilities, being self-sustaining, and taking care of self. Using these themes and drawing on research on mothering informed by feminist perspectives, this article examines how the mothers strive to be good mothers while coping with PPD. Social workers working with new mothers of color who have PPD can benefit from understanding these mothers’ experiences with PPD while striving to achieve well-being for themselves and for their children.

Child Care, Work, and Depressive Symptoms Among Low-Income Mothers

2006 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 609-632 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Press ◽  
Jay Fagan ◽  
Elisa Bernd
Keyword(s):  
Child Care ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Child Care Work ◽  
Welfare Participation ◽  
Employment Conditions ◽  
Low Income Mothers ◽  
Care Problems

Focusing on social factors associated with increased depressive symptoms among working mothers living in poor urban neighborhoods, this study investigates the effects of welfare participation, employment conditions, and child care on women's emotional well-being. The authors use new data from the Philadelphia Survey of Child Care and Work. Hierarchical regression analyses reveal minimal effects of welfare participation on depressive symptoms. However, women's employment characteristics and child care problems were significantly related to emotional well-being. Interaction effects between child care and employment were also explored. Mothers who had concerns about child care were more likely to report depressive symptoms when they had good-quality jobs (higher wages) or when they had only one job or were not unemployed.

Low-Income Mothers’ Private Safety Nets and Children’s Socioemotional Well-Being

2009 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 278-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca M. Ryan ◽  
Ariel Kalil ◽  
Lindsey Leininger
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Safety Nets ◽  
Low Income Mothers

scholarly journals The Effect of ACA State Medicaid Expansions on Medical Out-of-Pocket Expenditures

2018 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joelle Abramowitz
Keyword(s):  
Health Insurance ◽  
Medical Care ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Family Income ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Health Insurance Premiums ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Medicaid Expansions ◽  
Cutoff Levels ◽  
Out Of Pocket Costs

This article considers the extent to which Affordable Care Act state Medicaid expansions alleviated the burden of out-of-pocket costs associated with obtaining health insurance and medical care using data from the 2011 to 2016 Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement. Using a difference-in-differences framework, the analysis examines effects of the Medicaid expansions on out-of-pocket expenditures for health insurance premiums and medical care, comparing expenditures across expansion and nonexpansion states before and after the expansions were implemented, performing separate analyses for individuals with family income at various eligibility cutoff levels in the first and second years of expansion implementation. The findings suggest that the expansions were associated with a relatively larger likelihood of having zero premium expenditures and of having zero nonpremium medical out-of-pocket expenditures for low-income individuals. These findings suggest that the expansions were effective in reducing medical out-of-pocket expenditures.

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