Hurricane Michael and Adverse Social and Mental Health Risk Factors

Area of Science:

• Perinatal health
• Disaster impact on maternal health
• Public health surveillance

Background:

• Natural disasters like Hurricane Michael can disrupt healthcare access and impact maternal mental health.
• Assessing the effects of such events on prenatal care utilization and risk factors is crucial for public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate changes in mental health and social risk factors among pregnant women in Florida counties impacted by Hurricane Michael.
• To analyze the short-term and long-term effects of the hurricane on perinatal care.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Universal Perinatal Risk Screen (UPRS) and Florida vital statistics.
• Compared prenatal risk factors (e.g., unplanned pregnancy, stress, substance use) in the year before and after Hurricane Michael for 18,887 women.
• Employed Log-Poisson regression to analyze binary outcomes, adjusting for demographic factors.

Main Results:

• A decrease in perinatal screening and referrals was observed in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Michael.
• While overall risk scores remained stable, smoking during pregnancy increased significantly among women affected by the hurricane.
• Short-term decreases in certain medical risk factors were noted, followed by increases in the longer term.

Conclusions:

• Hurricane Michael led to a short-term decline in perinatal screening and referrals.
• The findings highlight the need for sustained mental health and social support for pregnant women in disaster-affected areas.
• Increased smoking rates underscore the ongoing challenges in prenatal care post-disaster.