The Impact of natural disasters on child health and investments in Bangladesh
Description
Bangladesh is located in a natural disaster-prone area. It faces many climatic shocks every year. And, the disaster occurrences are hammering the populous country more frequently than ever before. One-fourth of the population, still living in poverty, must suffer from these calamities in different channels. The children must bear a significant portion of the disaster burden. When a disaster strikes, it affects the children of a family negatively. They do not get enough food, proper treatment and medicine in the time of sickness, and, more importantly, education. Thus, a disaster has a significant impact on the health and growth of a child. This study investigates the impact of small, moderate, and even large disasters on childhood morbidity, physical growth, and immunizations by combining IPUMS Global Health data on over 36000 children from five waves of the Demographic Health Survey with an international database of natural disasters (EM-DAT). This paper uses a Linear Probability Model and, the findings highlight three facts. First, exposure to a natural disaster in the past month increases the likelihood of acute illnesses such as diarrhea, fever, and acute respiratory infection in children under five-year. Second, exposure to a calamity in the past year reduces height-for-age and weight-for-age z-scores, increases the likelihood of stunting and underweight, and third, reduce the likelihood of having full-age appropriate immunization coverage. The paper also finds that the effects of disasters vary significantly by gender, age, and socioeconomic demographics.
The Impact of natural disasters on child health and investments in Bangladesh
Bangladesh is located in a natural disaster-prone area. It faces many climatic shocks every year. And, the disaster occurrences are hammering the populous country more frequently than ever before. One-fourth of the population, still living in poverty, must suffer from these calamities in different channels. The children must bear a significant portion of the disaster burden. When a disaster strikes, it affects the children of a family negatively. They do not get enough food, proper treatment and medicine in the time of sickness, and, more importantly, education. Thus, a disaster has a significant impact on the health and growth of a child. This study investigates the impact of small, moderate, and even large disasters on childhood morbidity, physical growth, and immunizations by combining IPUMS Global Health data on over 36000 children from five waves of the Demographic Health Survey with an international database of natural disasters (EM-DAT). This paper uses a Linear Probability Model and, the findings highlight three facts. First, exposure to a natural disaster in the past month increases the likelihood of acute illnesses such as diarrhea, fever, and acute respiratory infection in children under five-year. Second, exposure to a calamity in the past year reduces height-for-age and weight-for-age z-scores, increases the likelihood of stunting and underweight, and third, reduce the likelihood of having full-age appropriate immunization coverage. The paper also finds that the effects of disasters vary significantly by gender, age, and socioeconomic demographics.