The Long-Term Consequences of Early Life Exposure to Tsunami and Conflict on Adolescents in Sri Lanka

The consequences for adolescent health due to early life exposure to natural disasters combined with war are not known. We collected data from adolescents aged 12-13 years in Sri Lanka whose mothers were pregnant during the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 in a tsunami-affected region (n = 22), conflict...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Asia-Pacific journal of public health 2023-03, Vol.35 (2-3), p.112-120
Main Authors: Devakumar, Delan, Busert, Laura, Sathiadas, Manoji Gitanjali, Jayawardana, Pushpika, Arulpragasam, Angela, Osmond, Clive, Fall, Caroline H. D., Wells, Jonathan C. K., Wickramasinghe, V. Pujitha
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Body Mass Index
Disasters
Female
Humans
Mothers
Original Manuscripts
Pregnancy
Sri Lanka - epidemiology
Tsunamis
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The consequences for adolescent health due to early life exposure to natural disasters combined with war are not known. We collected data from adolescents aged 12-13 years in Sri Lanka whose mothers were pregnant during the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 in a tsunami-affected region (n = 22), conflict-affected region (n = 35), conflict-plus-tsunami-affected region (n = 29), or controls in areas unaffected by either (n = 24). Adjusted body mass index (BMI)-for-age z-scores were 1.3, 1.0 and 2.0 for conflict, tsunami, and conflict-plus-tsunami, respectively, compared with the control group. Greater skinfold thickness and higher diastolic blood pressure were found in adolescents born in the conflict zone but no differences were found in height, head circumference, and waist circumference, or blood results, with the exception of serum insulin. Being born after a natural disaster or during conflict was associated with increased BMI and body fat during adolescent, which are associated with longer-term risk of noncommunicable disease.
ISSN:1010-5395
1941-2479
DOI:10.1177/10105395231151730