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Impacts of Hurricane Katrina on the Health of Vietnamese New Orleanians: A Longitudinal Study
Lung Vu, Ph.D., Mark VanLandingham, Ph.D., Mai Do, Dr.PH., and Janet Rice, Ph.D. Figure 1: Changes in Health Outcomes over Time Table 1: Sample Characteristics (n=128) Introduction Characteristics Mean (Std.) or %(n) Age (years: 28-52) 42.0 (5.0) Sex Male 66.4% (85) Female 33.6% (43) Education (years) 11.1 (5.0) Marital status Currently married 83.5% (107) Single/divorced/widowed 16.5% (20) Occupation Low skill 57.1% (68) High skill 42.9% (51) Home ownership Own 75.8% (97) Rent 24.2% (31) Length of stay in the US (years) 25.3 (5.0) Disaster studies are hampered by the lack of pre-event measures. By chance, we had collected data for a wide range of physical and mental health outcomes for a population-based sample of Vietnamese immigrants in New Orleans not long before Hurricane Katrina made landfall. We re-interviewed two-thirds of these same immigrants one year after the disaster and over 70% of the same individuals two years after the storm. Figure 2: Acculturation and Mental Health Research Questions On which dimensions and to what degree did Hurricane Katrina affect the mental health status of Vietnamese immigrants who were assessed just before the disaster occurred; one year post-disaster; and two years post-disaster? What are the key pre- and post-Katrina predictors of post-Katrina mental health status for this population? To what degree does acculturation moderate the impacts of the disaster on mental health for this population? Table 2: Katrina-related Losses The Katrina disaster had a much more negative impact on less acculturated immigrants than on those who are more bicultural. These negative effects appear to be short-lived. Property losses ($) > $50,000 50.0% (40) ≤ $50,000 Property damage Slight/moderate 43.9% (36) Severe/total destruction 56.1% (46) Insurance coverage Cover most/Little loss 27.5% (22) Cover some/No insurance 72.5% (58) Note: LSFP: languages, social and food preference as the measure of acculturation Conclusions Table 3: Results from the Random Effects Model Mental and physical health status of Vietnamese New Orleanians declined as a result of the Katrina disaster during the first year after the disaster. Females and the middle-aged suffered more than males and young adults. Extensive Katrina-related property damage led to more prolonged negative impacts on mental health. Biculturalism buffered the negative impacts of the Katrina disaster on the mental health of Vietnamese New Orleanians. By the second anniversary of the disaster, the physical and mental health of this community had rebounded significantly. A new phase of our study will examine why the Vietnamese communities in New Orleans recovered so much more quickly than did other communities. MCS PCS Depression β(s.e) p-value β(s.e.) Odds Ratio Age (28–39 as ref) -.2 (1.2) .86 -1.1 (1.1) .32 1.4 (.5) .37 Sex (male as ref) -2.5 (1.3) .05 -3.2 (1.2) .002 2.2 (.7) .02 Occupation (low skill = ref) -1.4 (1.2) .26 -.7 (1.0) .51 .9 (.3) .79 Marital status (single/divorced as ref) 1.9 (1.8) .29 1.3 (1.5) .39 .5 (.2) .09 LSFP (Vietnamese as ref) 3.3 (1.2) .008 3.5 (1.0) .001 .04 Social support (no helpful relationship as ref) 3.3 (1.3) .01 .1 (1.1) .95 .7 (.3) .40 Time (T0 = ref) T1 -3.6 (1.4) -4.3 (1.1) .000 2.4 (.8) T2 0.5 (1.4) .72 -1.8 (1.1) 1.5 (.5) .19 Methodology Longitudinal study design, comparing pre-event (2005) to post-event (2006 and 2007) health outcomes measured for the same individuals. Sample: n=128 (2005 = T0), n=82 (2006 = T1) and n=91 (2007 = T2). Study population: East and West-bank Vietnamese communities of New Orleans Acknowledgements Funding: National Institute for Mental Health, NIH, and the Tulane University Research Enhancement Fund Partners: Vietnam Initiatives for Economic Training (VIET), Mary Queen of Vietnam Church, and Vietnamese American Community (VAC).
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