Earthquake severity and child nutrition: The Haiti 2010 earthquake

Abstract

Nutritional status is an important indicator of children’s health and well-being. Previous research on child nutrition in earthquake contexts has shown an increased chance of undernutrition among children in affected areas. Haiti suffered a devastating earthquake in January 2010. This paper makes an important addition to previous research by investigating variations in child nutrition (height-for-age z-scores) across birth cohorts and earthquake severity. Data from Haiti Demographic and Health Surveys from 2005–06, 2012 and 2016–17 and geocoded data on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale and the Peak Ground Acceleration from the U.S. Geological Survey are analysed with linear regression. The results show that children born in some of the post-earthquake years located in areas with severe earthquake impact had lower HAZ relative to children in less impacted areas. It is especially important to ensure a well-coordinated response after major disasters to reduce the impact on child undernutrition, not only in the immediate aftermath but also in the long term.