Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Birth Outcomes in a Disaster Recovery Environment: New Orleans Women After Katrina

  • Published:
Maternal and Child Health Journal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objectives

To examine how the recovery following Hurricane Katrina affected pregnancy outcomes.

Methods

308 New Orleans area pregnant women were interviewed 5–7 years after Hurricane Katrina about their exposure to the disaster (danger, damage, and injury); current disruption; and perceptions of recovery. Birthweight, gestational age, birth length, and head circumference were examined in linear models, and low birthweight (<2500 g) and preterm birth (<37 weeks) in logistic models, with adjustment for confounders.

Results

Associations were found between experiencing damage during Katrina and birthweight (adjusted beta for high exposure = −158 g) and between injury and gestational age (adjusted beta = −0.5 days). Of the indicators of recovery experience, most consistently associated with worsened birth outcomes was worry that another hurricane would hit the region (adjusted beta for birthweight: −112 g, p = 0.08; gestational age: −3.2 days, p = 0.02; birth length: −0.65 cm, p = 0.06).

Conclusions

Natural disaster may have long-term effects on pregnancy outcomes. Alternately, women who are most vulnerable to disaster may be also vulnerable to poor pregnancy outcome.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. U.S. Census Bureau: State and County QuickFacts. New Orleans (city), Louisiana. 2015. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/22/2255000.html. Accessed March 20, 2015 2015.

  2. Plyer, A. (2013). Facts for features: Hurricane Katrina recovery. Greater New Orleans Community Data Center, New Orleans, LA. https://gnocdc.s3.amazonaws.com/reports/GNOCDC_HurricaneKatrinaRecovery.pdf. Accessed July 22, 2013.

  3. New Orleans residents say recovery is making progress, but many believe the gulf oil spill will be more damaging than Katrina. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Menlo Park, CA. 2010. http://kff.org/disparities-policy/press-release/new-orleans-residents-say-recovery-is-making-progress-but-many-believe-the-gulf-oil-spill-will-be-more-damaging-than-katrina/

  4. Paxson, C., Fussell, E., Rhodes, J., et al. (2012). Five years later: Recovery from post-traumatic stress and psychological distress among low-income mothers affected by Hurricane Katrina. Social Science and Medicine, 74, 150–157.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. McLaughlin, K. A., Berglund, P., Gruber, M. J., et al. (2011). Recovery from PTSD following Hurricane Katrina. Depression and Anxiety, 28(6), 439–446. doi:10.1002/da.20790.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Harville, E., Xiong, X., & Buekens, P. (2010). Disasters and perinatal health: A systematic review. Obstetrical & Gynecological Survey, 65(11), 713–728. doi:10.1097/OGX.0b013e31820eddbe.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Xiong, X., Harville, E. W., Mattison, D. R., et al. (2008). Exposure to Hurricane Katrina, post-traumatic stress disorder and birth outcomes. American Journal of the Medical Sciences, 336(2), 111–115.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Harville, E. W., Tran, T., Xiong, X., et al. (2010). Population changes, racial/ethnic disparities, and birth outcomes in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 4(Suppl 1), S39–S45. doi:10.1001/dmp.2010.15.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Hamilton, B. E., Sutton, P. D., Mathews, T. J., et al. (2009). The effect of Hurricane Katrina: Births in the U. S. Gulf Coast Region, before and after the storm. National Vital Statistics Reports, 58(2), 1–28, 32.

  10. Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). Conservation of resources. A new attempt at conceptualizing stress. American Psychologist, 44(3), 513–524.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Freedy, J. R., Shaw, D. L., Jarrell, M. P., et al. (1992). Towards an understanding of the psychological impact of natural disasters: An application of the conservation resources stress model. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 5(3), 441–454.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Freedy, J. R., Saladin, M. E., Kilpatrick, D. G., et al. (1994). Understanding acute psychological distress following natural disaster. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 7(2), 257–273.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Smith, B. W., & Freedy, J. R. (2000). Psychosocial resource loss as a mediator of the effects of flood exposure on psychological distress and physical symptoms. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 13(2), 349–357.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Ehrlich, M., Harville, E., Xiong, X., et al. (2010). Loss of resources and hurricane experience as predictors of postpartum depression among women in southern Louisiana. Journal of Womens Health (Larchmt), 19(5), 877–884. doi:10.1089/jwh.2009.1693.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Sattler, D. N., Preston, A. J., Kaiser, C. F., et al. (2002). Hurricane Georges: a cross-national study examining preparedness, resource loss, and psychological distress in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and the United States. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 15(5), 339–350.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Joseph, N. T., Matthews, K. A., & Myers, H. F. (2013). Conceptualizing health consequences of Hurricane Katrina from the perspective of socioeconomic status decline. Health Psychology,. doi:10.1037/a0031661.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Wen, J., Shi, Y. K., Li, Y. P., et al. (2012). Quality of life, physical diseases, and psychological impairment among survivors 3 years after Wenchuan earthquake: A population based survey. PLoS ONE, 7(8), e43081. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0043081.

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Arata, C. M., Picou, J. S., Johnson, G. D., et al. (2000). Coping with technological disaster: An application of the conservation of resources model to the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 13(1), 23–39.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Holgersen, K. H., Klockner, C. A., Boe, H. J., et al. (2011). Disaster survivors in their third decade: Trajectories of initial stress responses and long-term course of mental health. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 24(3), 334–341. doi:10.1002/jts.20636.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Sherrieb, K., & Norris, F. H. (2013). Public health consequences of terrorism on maternal-child health in New York city and Madrid. Journal of Urban Health., 90(3), 369–387. doi:10.1007/s11524-012-9769-4.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. March of Dimes Foundation. (2014). Peristats: Louisiana. http://www.marchofdimes.com/Peristats/ViewTopic.aspx?reg=22&top=5&lev=0&slev=4. Accessed March 20, 2014.

  22. Norris, F. H., Perilla, J. L., Riad, J. K., et al. (1999). Stability and change in stress, resources, and psychological morbidity: Who suffers and who recovers: Findings from Hurricane Andrew. Anxiety Stress Coping, 12, 363–396.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Harville, E. W., Xiong, X., Pridjian, G., et al. (2009). Postpartum mental health after Hurricane Katrina: A cohort study. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth, 9(1), 21.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Xiong, X., Harville, E. W., Mattison, D. R., et al. (2010). Hurricane Katrina experience and the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression among pregnant women. American Journal of Disaster Medicine, 5(3), 181–187.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Harville, E. W., Xiong, X., Smith, B. W., et al. (2011). Combined effects of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Gustav on the mental health of mothers of small children. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 18(4), 288–296. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2850.2010.01658.x.

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. KaiserFamilyFoundation. (2007). Giving voice to the people of New Orleans: The Kaiser Post-Katrina baseline survey. Menlo Park, CA: Kaiser Family Foundation. http://www.kff.org/kaiserpolls/pomr051007pkg.cfm Accessed July 30, 2007.

  27. Murray, D., & Cox, J. L. (1990). Screening for depression during pregnancy with the Edinburgh depression scale. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 8, 99–107.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Bergink, V., Kooistra, L., Lambregtse-van den Berg, M. P., et al. (2011). Validation of the Edinburgh Depression Scale during pregnancy. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 70(4), 385–389. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2010.07.008.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Matthey, S. (2004). Calculating clinically significant change in postnatal depression studies using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Journal of Affective Disorders, 78(3), 269–272.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Weathers, F. W., Litz, B. T., Herman, D. S., et al. (Eds). (1993). The PTSD checklist (PCL): Reliability, validity, and diagnostic utility. In 9th annual conference of the international society of traumatic stress studies, San Antonio, TX.

  31. Ventureyra, V. A., Yao, S. N., Cottraux, J., et al. (2002). The validation of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist Scale in posttraumatic stress disorder and nonclinical subjects. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 71(1), 47–53.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Yali, A. M., & Lobel, M. (1999). Coping and distress in pregnancy: an investigation of medically high risk women. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 20(1), 39–52.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Zhou, X. H., Eckert, G. J., & Tierney, W. M. (2001). Multiple imputation in public health research. Statistics in Medicine, 20(9–10), 1541–1549.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Hapsari, E. D., Widyawati, Nisman W. A., et al. (2009). Change in contraceptive methods following the Yogyakarta earthquake and its association with the prevalence of unplanned pregnancy. Contraception, 79(4), 316–322.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Kissinger, P., Schmidt, N., Sanders, C., et al. (2007). The effect of the Hurricane Katrina disaster on sexual behavior and access to reproductive care for young women in New Orleans. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 34(11), 883–886.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Rogal, S. S., Poschman, K., Belanger, K., et al. (2007). Effects of posttraumatic stress disorder on pregnancy outcomes. Journal of Affective Disorders, 102(1–3), 137–143.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Morland, L., Goebert, D., Onoye, J., et al. (2007). Posttraumatic stress disorder and pregnancy health: Preliminary update and implications. Psychosomatics, 48(4), 304–308.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Rose, D., Bodor, J. N., Rice, J. C., et al. (2011). The effects of Hurricane Katrina on food access disparities in New Orleans. American Journal of Public Health, 101(3), 482–484. doi:10.2105/ajph.2010.196659.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Lowe, S. R., Chan, C. S., & Rhodes, J. E. (2011). The impact of child-related stressors on the psychological functioning of lower-income mothers after Hurricane Katrina. Journal of Family Issues, 32(10), 1303–1324. doi:10.1177/0192513x11412492.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Rendall, M. S. (2011). Break-up of New Orleans households after Hurricane Katrina. Journal of Marriage and Family, 73(3), 654–668. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2011.00837.x.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Harville, E. W., Taylor, C. A., Tesfai, H., et al. (2011). Experience of Hurricane Katrina and reported intimate partner violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 26(4), 833–845. doi:10.1177/0886260510365861.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Dunkel Schetter, C. (2011). Psychological science on pregnancy: Stress processes, biopsychosocial models, and emerging research issues. Annual Review of Psychology, 62, 531–558. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.031809.130727.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by NIH Grant R03 NR012052 to G.G.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal St., New Orleans, LA, 70112-2715, USA

    Emily W. Harville & Veronica Barcelona de Mendoza

  2. Department of Nursing, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Gloria Giarratano, Jane Savage & Veronica Barcelona de Mendoza

  3. Department of Nursing, Loyola University, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Jane Savage

  4. Independent Scholar, New Orleans, LA, USA

    TrezMarie Zotkiewicz

Authors
  1. Emily W. Harville
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gloria Giarratano
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jane Savage
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Veronica Barcelona de Mendoza
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. TrezMarie Zotkiewicz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Emily W. Harville.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary material 1 (DOC 342 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Harville, E.W., Giarratano, G., Savage, J. et al. Birth Outcomes in a Disaster Recovery Environment: New Orleans Women After Katrina. Matern Child Health J 19, 2512–2522 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-015-1772-4

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-015-1772-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation