title: Birth Outcomes in a Disaster Recovery Environment: New Orleans Women After Katrina.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine how the recovery following Hurricane Katrina affected pregnancy outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  308 New Orleans area pregnant women were interviewed 5-7 years after Hurricane Katrina about their exposure to the disaster (danger, damage, and injury); current disruption; and perceptions of recovery. Birthweight, gestational age, birth length, and head circumference were examined in linear models, and low birthweight (<2500 g) and preterm birth (<37 weeks) in logistic models, with adjustment for confounders.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Associations were found between experiencing damage during Katrina and birthweight (adjusted beta for high exposure = -158 g) and between injury and gestational age (adjusted beta = -0.5 days). Of the indicators of recovery experience, most consistently associated with worsened birth outcomes was worry that another hurricane would hit the region (adjusted beta for birthweight: -112 g, p = 0.08; gestational age: -3.2 days, p = 0.02; birth length: -0.65 cm, p = 0.06).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Natural disaster may have long-term effects on pregnancy outcomes. Alternately, women who are most vulnerable to disaster may be also vulnerable to poor pregnancy outcome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal St., New Orleans, LA, 70112-2715, USA. harville@tulane.edu.
authors.forename: Emily W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Harville
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, USA.
authors.forename: Gloria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giarratano
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, USA.|Department of Nursing, Loyola University, New Orleans, LA, USA.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Savage
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal St., New Orleans, LA, 70112-2715, USA.|Department of Nursing, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, USA.
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Barcelona de Mendoza
authors.affiliation: Independent Scholar, New Orleans, LA, USA.
authors.forename: TrezMarie
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zotkiewicz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D055867:Cyclonic Storms; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D019052:Depression, Postpartum; D004189:Disaster Planning; D004190:Disasters; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D055820:New Orleans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D037841:Pregnant People / Q000523:psychology*; D047928:Premature Birth; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Birthweight; Disaster; Pregnancy