Impact of flooding on health-related quality of life in England: results from the National Study of Flooding and Health
Open accessAbstract
Background: Flooding can have extensive effects on the health and wellbeing of affected communities. The impact of flooding on psychological morbidity has been established; however, the wider impacts of flooding exposure, including on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), have not been described. Methods: Using data from the English National Study of Flooding and Health cohort, HRQoL 2 and 3 years post-flooding was assessed with the EuroQol Group EQ-5D-5L tool. Associations between exposure groups (flooding and disruption from flooding) and HRQoL were assessed, using ordinal and linear regression, adjusting for a priori confounders. Results: For both 2 and 3 years post-flooding, the median HRQoL scores were lower in the flooded and disrupted groups, compared with unaffected respondents. A higher proportion of flooded and disrupted respondents reported HRQoL problems in most dimensions of the EQ-5D-5L, compared with unaffected respondents. In year 2, independent associations between exposure to flooding and experiencing anxiety/depression [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 7.7; 95% CI 4.6–13.5], problems with usual activities (aOR 5.3; 95% CI 2.5–11.9) and pain/discomfort (aOR 2.4; 95% CI 1.5–3.9) were identified. These problems persisted 3 years post-flooding; associations between exposure to flooding and experiencing anxiety/depression (aOR 4.3; 95% CI 2.5–7.7), problems with usual activities (aOR 2.9; 95% CI 1.5–6.1) and pain/discomfort (aOR 2.5; 95% CI 1.5–4.2) were identified. Conclusions: Exposure to flooding and disruption from flooding significantly reduces HRQoL. These findings extend our knowledge of the impacts of flooding on health, with implications for multi-agency emergency response and recovery plans.
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Three years after a flood disaster, directly affected people have severely worse anxiety/depression-related quality of life than unaffected people (OR=4.30; 95% CI 2.48-7.72).
“Even three years after a flood disaster, the healthrelated quality of life of those directly affected by flooding is severely restricted in comparison with unaffected persons with regard to anxiety/depression (odds ratio [OR] = 4.30; 95% confidence interval [2,48; 7,72]) (10).”
From The effects of climate change on mental health (2023) · cites this paper as [10]
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- Authors
- Robin, C., Beck, C., Armstrong, B., Waite, T. D., Rubin, G. J., English National Study of Flooding and Health Study Group, Waite, T. D., Beck, C. R., Amlôt, R., Kovats, S., Armstrong, B., Leonardi, G., Rubin, G. J., Oliver, I., Waite, T. D., Beck, C. R., Amlôt, R., Kovats, S., Armstrong, B., Leonardi, G., Rubin, G. J., Oliver, I., & Oliver, I.
- Affiliations
- Public Health England (GB)
- Field Epidemiology, Field Service, National Infection Service, Public Health England, Bristol, UK
- Corresponding author
- Robin, Charlotte
- ORCID
- Robin, Charlotte
- Venue
- European Journal of Public Health
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2020-03-30
- Volume
- 30
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 942-948
- ISSN
- 1101-1262 (ISSN-L)
- 1464-360X
- OpenAlex
- W3013624550
- Cited by
- 21
- References
- 29
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 1
- FWCI
- 0.65
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- European Journal of Public Health (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- LSHTM Research Online (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Units
- NIHR
- Evaluation of Interventions at the University of Bristol
- Public Health England
- PHE
- Emergency Preparedness and Response at King’s College London
- Environmental Change and Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
- NHS
- Department of Health and Social Care
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Flood Risk Assessment and Management
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Emergency Medical Services › Disaster Response and Management
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
- Keywords
- floods, health-related quality of life, anxiety, depression, activity limitation, pain and discomfort, EQ-5D-5L, disaster recovery, emergency planning
- MeSH terms
- Cross-Sectional Studies, Depression, England, Humans, Quality of Life, Floods
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