Tsunami-related injury in Aceh Province, Indonesia

Abstract

The Asian tsunami, of December 2004, caused widespread loss of life. A series of surveys were conducted to assess tsunami-related mortality and injury, risk factors, care seeking and injury outcomes.

Three surveys of tsunami-affected populations, in seven districts of Aceh province, were conducted between March and August 2005. Surveys employed a two-stage cluster design and probability proportional to size sampling methods.

Overall, 17.7% (95% confidence interval (CI)=16.8–18.6) of the population was reported as dead/missing1 and 8.5% (95% CI=7.9–9.2) had been injured. Odds of mortality were 1.41% (95% CI=1.27–1.58) times greater in females than in males; risk of injury was opposite, with an odds of injury of 0.81 (95% CI=0.61–0.96) for females in comparison to males. Mortality was greatest among the oldest and young population sub-groups, and injuries were most prevalent among middle-aged populations (20–49). An estimated 25,572 people were injured and 3682 (1.2%) suffered lasting disabilities.

While mortality was particularly elevated among females and among the youngest and oldest age groups, injury rates were the greatest among males and the working-age population, suggesting that those are more likely to survive the tsunami were also more likely to be injured.

Keywords:

• tsunami
• injury
• disasters
• Indonesia

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge Mercy Corps for providing the logistical support required to conduct this research. We would also like to acknowledge the survey team members, including Eric Spring, Scott Bradley, Anita Shankar, and Bahie Rassekh, as well as the Indonesian interviewer teams and translators who aided in the data collection process and other aspects of the study. Lastly, we would express our appreciation to Dr. Adnan Hyder for his comments and recommendations.

Notes

1. See Doocy et al. (2007a, b) for a complete discussion of tsunami mortality.

2. Tsunami displaced populations were identified during the response and included individuals who lost their homes or were displaced within their own communities, in host communities, or in barracks or camps; see Doocy et al. (2007b) for a more detailed description of sampling methods.

3. Weighted calculations were based on population estimates of tsunami-affected communities derived by the Asian Development Bank and applied to the nine districts surveyed.

4. Rates reflect immediate tsunami mortality and injury; see Doocy et al. (2007b) for a complete discussion of tsunami mortality.