title: Documenting the Effects of Armed Conflict on Population Health.
abstract: War and other forms of armed conflict have profound adverse effects on population health. It is important to document these effects to inform the general public and policy makers about the consequences of armed conflict, provide services to meet the needs of affected populations, protect human rights and document violations of international humanitarian law, and help to prevent future armed conflict. Documentation can be accomplished with surveillance, epidemiological surveys, and rapid assessment. Challenges include inadequate or absent data systems, social breakdown, forced migration, reporting biases, and the fog of war. The adverse effects of the Iraq War on population health demonstrate how the effects of armed conflict on population health can be documented. We recommend the establishment of an independent mechanism, operated by the United Nations or a multilateral organization, to investigate and document the effects of armed conflict on population health.
authors.affiliation: Public Health and Community Medicine, School of Medicine, Tufts University, Sherborn, Massachusetts 01770; email: blevy@igc.org.
authors.forename: Barry S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Department of Healthcare Policy and Research, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10021; email: vsidel@igc.org.
authors.forename: Victor W
authors.initials: VW
authors.lastname: Sidel
mesh_terms: D000068337:Armed Conflicts / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004282:Documentation; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D014943:Global Health; D006806:Human Rights; D006801:Humans; D066067:Military Family / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D057766:Policy; D062486:Public Health Surveillance; D012036:Refugees / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012918:Social Alienation / Q000523:psychology; D000068336:Warfare and Armed Conflicts / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: armed conflict; epidemiology; population health; rapid assessment; surveillance; war