Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
John Sseruyange, Jeroen Klomp
Summary: This study explores the role of microfinance institutions in mitigating the adverse macroeconomic consequences of natural disasters. Findings suggest that MFIs can help alleviate the negative impact on the agricultural sector post-disaster, with their effectiveness depending on factors such as organizational structure, profitability, legal status, age, and client base.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alessio Ciullo, Eric Strobl, Simona Meiler, Olivia Martius, David N. Bresch
Summary: This study finds that global pooling generally provides greater financial resilience and risk diversification compared to regional pooling in sovereign catastrophe risk pools. Extreme weather events can severely impact national economies, leading to reliance on slow and uncertain foreign financial aid. The study introduces a method for maximizing risk diversification and finds that global pooling always provides higher risk diversification and benefits more countries.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Economics
Anastasios Evgenidis, Masashige Hamano, Wessel N. Vermeulen
Summary: The study using the Bayesian Panel VAR and DSGE approach found that all regions experienced a strong and persistent decline in trade and long-term production disruptions, with short-lived but strong inflationary pressures during the regional effects of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. Through counterfactual analysis via conditional forecasts, it was revealed that Japanese regional economies, especially the affected regions, suffered production and trade losses due to the persistent fall in electricity supply as predicted by the theoretical model.
Article
Economics
Nicholas Ingwersen, Elizabeth Frankenberg, Duncan Thomas
Summary: This study explores the impact of exposure to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami on survivors' attitudes toward risk by examining longitudinal survey data over a five-year period. The results show that individuals directly exposed to the tsunami had a greater willingness to take on financial risk compared to those who were not directly exposed. However, this difference in risk-taking behavior was only observed in the first year after the disaster, with no significant differences between the two groups in subsequent years. These findings hold true for both individual and community-level tsunami exposures.
JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Josiemer Mattei, Martha Tamez, June O'Neill, Sebastien Haneuse, Sigrid Mendoza, Jonathan Orozco, Andrea Lopez-Cepero, Carlos F. Rios-Bedoya, Luis M. Falcon, Katherine L. Tucker, Jose F. Rodriguez-Orengo
Summary: This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of chronic diseases and associated risk factors among adults in Puerto Rico before and after Hurricane Maria in 2017. Results showed a higher prevalence of unhealthy behaviors and chronic conditions among adults in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, indicating the need for long-term studies. Psychosocial factors improved, but still require attention, particularly in populations at higher risk for poor health.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rui Zhang, Sheng Xu, Ruidong Sun
Summary: Based on data from the 2014 China Family Panel Studies, this study investigates the causal relationship between natural disasters and household debt using ordinary least squares and propensity score matching. The findings suggest that natural disasters not only increase the probability of households owning debt but also have a significant positive impact on the number of household debt. Heterogeneity analysis shows that natural disasters have a greater impact on families with large sizes and high-consumption levels, and household income and individual's health are potential mechanisms through which natural disasters affect household debt.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Trung X. Hoang, Nga V. T. Le
Summary: The research findings indicate that natural disasters make households more likely to be risk-averse, especially in the case of loss of household assets. However, households living in communities that have not experienced natural disasters or have been minimally impacted do not change their risk-averse behavior.
NATURAL RESOURCES FORUM
(2021)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Nangel M. Lindberg, Sonia Vega-Lopez, Erin S. LeBlanc, Michael C. Leo, Victor J. Stevens, Sara Gille, Mayra Arias-Gastelum, Richard Meenan
Summary: The De Por Vida project aimed to implement a diabetes risk-reduction intervention for Hispanic women in a Federally Qualified Health Center. Collaboration between the research team, clinic leadership, and academic institutions was crucial for the successful implementation of the program. This partnership allowed for a bidirectional communication approach, which helped in identifying barriers and finding practical solutions during the implementation process.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shaoyong Wu, Rui Zhang, Chuncao Wang, Dawei Feng
Summary: Examining the impact of natural disasters on rural household wealth, this study analyzed data from the China Family Panel Survey (CFPS) using multiple linear regression and propensity score matching methods. The findings showed that natural disasters have a significant negative impact on rural household wealth in the medium-to long-term. Heterogeneity analysis indicated that natural disasters have a greater effect on the wealth of larger households and households with high-consumption levels, while mechanism results suggest that natural disasters affect rural household wealth by reducing household income and harming individual's physical and mental health.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Wei Li, Chanam Lee, Sinan Zhong, Minjie Xu, Samuel D. D. Towne Jr, Xuemei Zhu, Sungmin Lee, Suojin Wang, Rafael Aldrete, Eufemia B. Garcia, Leah Whigham, Ashley M. Toney, Jorge Ibarra, Marcia G. Ory
Summary: This paper describes a seven-year natural-experiment study in El Paso, Texas, focusing on the impact of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on physical activity and its role in reducing obesity and related chronic diseases. The study compares residents exposed to new BRT stations with those who were not and addresses challenges such as delays in BRT opening, the COVID-19 pandemic, methodological challenges, participant recruitment and retention, and predatory survey takers. The paper emphasizes the importance of flexibility and adaptation for future natural-experiment researchers in an increasingly volatile and uncertain world.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, Stephen Rubanga, Alex Ngabirano, Lawrence Zikusoka
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic has not only impacted countries worldwide with millions of cases and deaths, but also posed a threat to the health and conservation of endangered mountain gorillas. Conservation Through Public Health has been working to mitigate these impacts through integrated programs that improve animal and community health, as well as livelihoods. Collaboration with Uganda Wildlife Authority and other NGOs has led to the implementation of measures to prevent COVID-19 transmission between people and gorillas, and to support non-tourism dependent community livelihoods.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Thomas C. Tsai, Sercan Arik, Benjamin H. Jacobson, Jinsung Yoon, Nate Yoder, Dario Sava, Margaret Mitchell, Garth Graham, Tomas Pfister
Summary: Racial and ethnic minorities in the United States have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is essential to address bias in data and forecasts to ensure fairness, as these biases can perpetuate disparities and exacerbate the harms of the pandemic. This paper outlines key modeling domains where unfairness can be introduced and offers strategies to mitigate bias and promote fairness in pandemic forecasting.
NPJ DIGITAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Edmund W. J. Lee, Rachel F. McCloud, Kasisomayajula Viswanath
Summary: This paper examines the effectiveness of eHealth interventions for underserved groups and summarizes five key principles for designing these interventions based on research and experience.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL INTERNET RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Kathryn Cardarelli, Susan Westneat, Madeline Dunfee, Beverly May, Nancy Schoenberg, Steven Browning
Summary: Despite declining smoking rates in the United States, Central Appalachia still faces challenges with high smoking rates, especially among younger populations. Our study found that compared to national data, our cohort reported higher smoking rates among younger populations and greater intensity of cigarette use.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Kamaljit K. Sangha, Jeremy Russell-Smith, Andrew C. Edwards, Akhilesh Surjan
Summary: This study investigates the total losses caused by Natural Hazard-induced Disasters (NHD) in Australia's Northern Territory, estimating the annual losses to be around AUD156 million, with non-monetary losses accounting for two-thirds of the total losses. The findings highlight the importance of developing effective management policies to reduce disaster risk and build community resilience against rapidly changing climates.
