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Reproductive and Birth Outcomes in Haiti Before and After the 2010 Earthquake

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 June 2015

Emily W. Harville  and
Mai Do
Emily W. Harville*
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana
Mai Do
Affiliation:
Department of Global Health Systems and Development, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Emily W. Harville, PhD, Department of Epidemiology, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal St. SL-18, New Orleans, LA 70112-2715 (e-mail: eharvill@tulane.edu).
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Abstract

Objective

We aimed to examine the relationship between exposure to the 2010 Haiti earthquake and pregnancy wantedness, interpregnancy interval, and birth weight.

Methods

From the nationally representative Haiti 2012 Demographic and Health Survey, information on “size of child at birth” (too small or not) was available for 7280 singleton births in the previous 5 years, whereas information on birth weight was available for 1607 births. Pregnancy wantedness, short (<1 year) interpregnancy interval, and maternal-reported birth weight were compared before and after the earthquake and by level of damage. Multiple logistic regression and linear regression analyses were conducted.

Results

Post-earthquake births were less likely to be wanted and more likely to be born after a short interpregnancy interval. Earthquake exposure was associated with increased likelihood of a child being born too small: timing of birth (after earthquake vs. before earthquake, adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.27, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.12-1.45), region (hardest-hit vs. rest of country; aOR: 1.43, 95% CI: 1.14- 1.80), and house damage (aOR: 1.27 95% CI: 1.02-1.58). Mean birth weight was 150 to 300 g lower in those exposed to the earthquake.

Conclusions

Experience with the earthquake was associated with worse reproductive and birth outcomes, which underscores the need to provide reproductive health services as part of relief efforts. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:59-66)

Keywords

disasterbirth weightpregnancyunwanteddeveloping country
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 10 , Issue 1 , February 2016 , pp. 59 - 66
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2015 

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