1. 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).