Gulf Coast parents speak: children’s health in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the physical and mental health of children following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (DHOS). A multi-stage sampling design was used to select households for inclusion in the study. Data were obtained from parental interviews (n = 720) in the harder-hit areas of Louisiana in the US Gulf Coast. Three out of five parents reported that their child had experienced physical health symptoms and nearly one third reported that their child had mental health issues since the oil spill. Both direct physical exposure and indirect economic exposure were found to be predictors of physical and mental health issues among the children. Our findings contribute to bridge the research gap on the impacts of the direct and indirect exposures of the DHOS on the health of children. The study underscores the importance of understanding the health and recovery trajectories of children and youth exposed to disasters. Knowledge gained from this study together with the emerging literature on the effect of the oil spill disaster on children can contribute towards more evidence-based public health policies and enhance the recovery of children and their families in the aftermath of disasters.

KEYWORDS:

• Exposure
• disaster
• children
• health
• oil spill

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Dr David Abramson at New York University as well as the Gulf Coast survey team, who had been part of the initial study, for their insights and expertise. The authors also express appreciation for the generous assistance provided by Jeremy Brooks at the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University. The aforementioned may or may not agree with all of the interpretations or conclusions of this paper. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funding organisation.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation [grant number PG005122 - BRAF CU13-0598].