Impacts of Natural Disasters on Children's Health: Evidence from the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923
Year: 2018
Type: preprint
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This study uses a catastrophic earthquake in 1923 to analyze the long-term effects of a one-off disaster on children's health. I find that fetal exposure to Japan's Great Kanto Earthquake had stunting effects on secondary school girls in the devastated area. Disaster relief spending helped remediate stunting among boys by late primary school ages, whereas it did not ameliorate girls' stunting, suggesting a biased remediation mechanism before birth and compensating investment after birth. While maternal mental stress via strong vibrations played a fundamental role in the adverse health effects, maternal nutritional stress via the physical disruption enhanced those effects.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Author: Kota Ogasawara
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3013757965