Children are vulnerable to injury during earthquakes but little epidemiologic research has been conducted to understand risk patterns. The purpose of the study is to understand child and household factors that increased risk of injury during the 1999 Kocaeli earthquake. A survey of households was conducted in Gölcük, Kocaeli, 19–21 months after the earthquake. Data were extracted on children under 20 years of age. Variables included child demographics, household size, disposition of adults in the household, family preparedness, and residential building characteristics. Descriptive analyses and regression modeling were conducted. Of 615 children present during the earthquake, 38 suffered non-fatal injuries while 22 were fatally injured. Calculations of adjusted odds ratios showed that the gender and age of the child, household size, adult household members’ injury status, and extent of damage to household residence were associated with relatively higher risks of non-fatal injury to a child during the 1999 Kocaeli earthquake.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AgranPhyllis F., and WinnDiane, and AndersonCraig, and TrentRoger, and Walton-HaynesLynn. 2001. “Rates of pediatric and adolescent injuries by year of age.” Pediatrics108.
2.
AngusDerek C., and PrettoErnesto A., and AbramsJoel I., and CecilianoNorma, and WatohYukihiro, and KirimliBulent, and CertugAgah, and ComfortLouise K., and Disaster Reanimatology Study Group. 1997. “Epidemiologic assessment of mortality, building collapse pattern, and medical response after the 1992 earthquake in Turkey.” Prehospital and Disaster Medicine12: 222–231.
3.
ArmenianHaroutune K., and MelkonianArthur, and NojiEric K., and HovanesianAshot P.. 1997. “Deaths and injuries due to the earthquake in Armenia: A cohort approach.” International Journal of Epidemiology26: 806–813.
4.
BourqueLinda B., and ShoafKimberley I., and NguyenLoc H.. 1997. “Survey research.” International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters15: 71–101.
5.
DönmezOsman, and MeralAdalet, and YavuzMahmut, and DurmazOguzhan. 2001. “Crush syndrome of children in the Marmara Earthquake, Turkey.” Pediatrics International43: 678–682.
6.
DoylePaul. 1999. “Performance of domestic buildings.” In Report on EEFIT Mission to Turkey on 6th to 13th September 1999., edited by DoylePaul. London, UK: Earthquake Engineering Field Investigation Team.
7.
EERI.1999. “The Izmit (Kocaeli), Turkey Earthquake of August 17, 1999.” Pp. 11 in EERI Special Earthquake Report-October 1999.Oakland, CA: Earthquake Engineering Research Institute.
8.
GlassRoger I., and UrrutiaJuan J., and SibonySimon, and SmithHarry, and GarciaBertha, and RizzoLuis. 1977. “Earthquake injuries related to housing in a Guatemalan village.” Science197: 638–643.
9.
HaynesRobert, and ReadingRichard, and GaleSusan. 2003. “Household and neighbourhood risks for injury to 5–14 year old children.” Social Science & Medicine57: 625–636.
10.
HsuChia-Chuang, and ChongMian-Yoon, and YangPinchen, and YenCheng-Fang. 2002. “Posttraumatic stress disorder among adolescent earthquake victims in Taiwan.” J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry41: 875–81.
11.
IskitSerdar H., and AlpayHarika, and TugetepeHalil, and OzdemirCevdet, and AyyildizSuat H., and OzelKerem, and BayramicliMehmet, and TetikCihangir, and DagliTolga E.. 2001. “Analysis of 33 pediatric trauma victims in the 1999 Marmara, Turkey earthquake.” Journal of Pediatric Surgery36: 368–372.
12.
JainVivek, and NoponenRea, and SmithBaird M.. 2003. “Pediatric surgical emergencies in the setting of a natural disaster: Experiences from the 2001 earthquake in Gujarat, India.” J Pediatr Surg38: 663–7.
13.
KitayamaS., OkadaY., and TakumiT., and TakadaS., and InagakiY., and NakamuraH.. 2000. “Psychological and physical reactions on children after the Hanshin-Awaji earthquake disaster.” Kobe J Med Sci46: 189–200.
14.
LaorNathaniel, and WolmerLeo, and KoraMeltem, and YucelDeniz, and SpirmanSmadar, and YazganYanki. 2002. “Posttraumatic, dissociative and grief symptoms in Turkish children exposed to the 1999 earthquakes.” J Nerv Ment Dis190: 824–32.
15.
Mahue-GiangrecoMaya, and MackWendy, and SeligsonHope, and BourqueLinda B.. 2001. “Risk factors associated with moderate and serious injuries attributable to the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, Los Angeles, California.” Ann Epidemiol11: 347–57.
16.
MillerT. W., KrausR. F., and TatevosyanA. S., and KamenchenkoP.. 1993. “Post-traumatic stress disorder in children and adolescents of the Armenian earthquake.” Child Psychiatry Hum Dev24: 115–23.
17.
NguyenLoc H.2002. The relationship between reported injuries resulting from the January 17, 1994 Northridge earthquake and the adoption of earthquake preparedness activities. [Dissertation] Los Angeles: University of California, Los Angeles.
Peek-AsaC., RamirezM., and SeligsonH., and ShoafK.. 2003. “Seismic, structural, and individual factors associated with earthquake related injury.” Inj Prev9: 62–6.
20.
PetalMarla A.2004. Urban Disaster Mitigation and Preparedness: The 1999 Kocaeli Earthquake. [Dissertation] Los Angeles, CA: University of California, Los Angeles.
21.
RocesM. C., WhiteM. E., and DayritM. M., and DurkinM. E.. 1992. “Risk factors for injuries due to the 1990 earthquake in Luzon, Philippines.” Bull World Health Organ70: 509–14.
22.
SarisözenBartu, and DurakKemal. 2003. “Extremity injuries in children resulting from the 1999 Marmara earthquake: an epidemiologic study.” J Pediatr Orthop B12: 288–91.
23.
ShoafKimberley I., and SareenHarvinder R., and NguyenLoc H., and BourqueLinda B.. 1998. “Injuries as a result of California earthquakes in the past decade.” Disasters22: 218–35.
24.
ShoafKimberley I., and SeligsonHope A., Peek-AsaCorinne, and Mahue-GiangrecoMaya. 2001. “Enhancement of casualty models for post-earthquake response and mitigation.” Pp. 547–556 in U.S-Japan Joint Workshop and Third Grantees Meeting, U.S.-Japan Cooperative Research on Urban Earthquake Disaster Mitigation. Seattle, WA.
TanakaHiroshi, and OdaJun, and IwaiAtsushi, and KuwagataYasuyuki, and MatsuokaTetsuya, and TakaokaMakoto, and KishiMasashi, and MorimotoFumio, and IshikawaKazuo, and MizushimaYasuaki, and NakataYasuki, and YamamuraHitoshi, and HiraideAtsushi, and ShimazuTakeshi, and YoshiokaToshiharu. 1999. “Morbidity and mortality of hospitalized patients after the 1995 Hanshin-Awaji earthquake.” Am J Emerg Med17: 186–91.
27.
U.S. Bureau of the Census, International Data Base.1999. Turkey 1999 Mid-year population, by age and sex.U.S. Bureau of the Census. Available at: http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idbprint. html. Accessed 14 June, 2004.
