Evidence on public health interventions in humanitarian crises

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Humanitarian Response
• Evidence-Based Interventions

Background:

• Growing recognition of the need for effective and efficient humanitarian responses.
• Limited understanding of the breadth and quality of existing evidence on health interventions in humanitarian crises.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the quantity and quality of evidence on public health interventions in humanitarian crises.
• To identify key research gaps in this field.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of studies published between 1980 and 2014.
• Inclusion criteria applied to identify relevant research on health interventions in humanitarian contexts.
• Analysis of evidence quantity and quality across different health topics.

Main Results:

• 345 studies were identified, with significant variation in evidence quantity by health topic (e.g., communicable diseases: 131, nutrition: 77, non-communicable diseases: 8).
• Common weaknesses in study design and methodology were observed, limiting the ability to determine intervention causation and attribution.
• Evidence quantity and quality are notably limited, especially for non-communicable diseases and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH).

Conclusions:

• Despite increased humanitarian health activities, the research base remains limited in both quantity and quality.
• There is a critical need to scale up research on health interventions in humanitarian settings.
• Addressing research gaps is essential for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of humanitarian health responses.