Influence of Mental Health on Disaster Preparedness: Findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2007–2009

AbstractIntroductionIndividuals with chronic conditions often experience exacerbation of those conditions and have specialized medical needs after a disaster. Less is known about the level of disaster preparedness of this particular population and the extent to which being prepared might have an impact on the risk of disease exacerbation. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between self-reported asthma, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes and levels of household disaster preparedness.MethodsData were analyzed from 14 US states participating in the 2006-2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a large state-based telephone survey. Chi-square statistics and adjusted prevalence ratios were calculated.ResultsAfter adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, as compared to those without each condition, persons with cardiovascular disease (aPR = 1.09; 95% CI, 1.01-1.17) and diabetes (aPR = 1.13; 95% CI, 1.05-1.22) were slightly more likely to have an evacuation plan and individuals with diabetes (aPR = 1.04; 95% CI, 1.02-1.05) and asthma (aPR = 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01-1.04) were slightly more likely to have a 3-day supply of prescription medication. There were no statistically significant differences in the prevalence for all other preparedness measures (3-day supply of food and water, working radio and flashlight, willingness to leave during a mandatory evacuation) between those with and those without each chronic condition.ConclusionDespite the increased morbidity and mortality associated with chronic conditions, persons with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and asthma were generally not more prepared for natural or man-made disasters than those without each chronic condition.KoJY, StrineTW, AllweissP. Chronic conditions and household preparedness for public health emergencies: behavioral risk factor surveillance system, 2006-2010. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2014;29(1):1-8.

Download Full-text

Caregiving Status and Health of Heterosexual, Sexual Minority, and Transgender Adults: Results From Select U.S. Regions in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2015 and 2016

The Gerontologist ◽

10.1093/geront/gny109 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 59 (4) ◽

pp. 760-769 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ulrike Boehmer ◽

Melissa A Clark ◽

Emily M Lord ◽

Lisa Fredman

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Risk Factor ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Physical Health ◽

Surveillance System ◽

Poor Mental Health ◽

Behavioral Risk ◽

Behavioral Risk Factor ◽

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance ◽

Risk Factor Surveillance

Abstract Background and Objectives Insufficient research attention has been paid to the diversity of informal caregivers, including sexual and gender minority caregivers. This study examined health effects of caregiving separately from sexual orientation or gender identity status, while stratifying by gender among cisgender adults. We hypothesized that compared with heterosexual cisgender noncaregivers, heterosexual caregivers and lesbian/gay/bisexual (LGB), and transgender (T) noncaregivers would report poorer health outcomes (i.e., self-reported health, and poor mental health days and poor physical health days), and LGBT caregivers would report the worst health outcomes. Research Design and Methods This is a secondary data analysis of the 2015 and 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data from 19 U.S. states. Results After adjusting for covariates and stratifying by gender among the cisgender sample, heterosexual caregivers, LGB noncaregivers and LGB caregivers had significantly higher odds of self-reported fair or poor health (adjusted odds ratios [aORs] 1.3–2.0 for women and 1.2 for men), poor physical health days (aORs 1.2–2.8 for women and 1.3–2.8 for men), and poor mental health days (aORs 1.4–4.7 for women and 1.5–5.6 for men) compared with heterosexual noncaregivers (reference group). By contrast, transgender caregivers did not have significantly poorer health than cisgender noncaregivers. Discussion and Implications LGB caregivers reported the worst health compared with other groups on multiple measures, signifying they are an at-risk population. These results suggest the necessity to develop LGB appropriate services and programs to prevent poor health in LGB caregivers. Existing policies should also be inclusive of LGBT individuals who are caregivers.

Download Full-text