IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/wdevel/v146y2021ics0305750x21000899.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Flooding and child health: Evidence from Pakistan

Author

Listed:
  • Sajid, Osama
  • Bevis, Leah E.M.

Abstract

We examine the impact of flooding in Pakistan on child health using satellite data and two household datasets. Flooding may influence child health, as measured by weight-for-height z-score, through two key channels. First, excessive flood waters can catalyze the spread of diarrheal disease, negatively impacting child health. Second, excessive flood waters — even when damaging in some areas — provide water to rice paddies and other agriculture, increasing food availability in the post-flood period. This may positively influence child health. In Pakistan, we find evidence of both channels: floods increase incidence of morbidity (diarrhea and fever) as well as meal frequency in the post flood season. We also find that floods increase dietary diversity, but only in districts with high rice harvesting intensity where flooding may predict favorable growing conditions. Because these mechanisms (disease incidence and dietary adequacy) act against one another, we find weak overall impact of floods on child health.

Suggested Citation

  • Sajid, Osama & Bevis, Leah E.M., 2021. "Flooding and child health: Evidence from Pakistan," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:146:y:2021:i:c:s0305750x21000899
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2021.105477
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X21000899
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.worlddev.2021.105477?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Rosales-Rueda, Maria, 2018. "The impact of early life shocks on human capital formation: evidence from El Niño floods in Ecuador," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 13-44.
    2. Gamper-Rabindran, Shanti & Khan, Shakeeb & Timmins, Christopher, 2010. "The impact of piped water provision on infant mortality in Brazil: A quantile panel data approach," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(2), pages 188-200, July.
    3. Garg, Teevrat & Hamilton, Stuart E. & Hochard, Jacob P. & Kresch, Evan Plous & Talbot, John, 2018. "(Not so) gently down the stream: River pollution and health in Indonesia," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 35-53.
    4. Jean-François Maystadt & Valerie Mueller & Ashwini Sebastian, 2016. "Environmental Migration and Labor Markets in Nepal," Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, University of Chicago Press, vol. 3(2), pages 417-452.
    5. Kosec, Katrina & Mo, Cecilia Hyunjung, 2017. "Aspirations and the Role of Social Protection: Evidence from a Natural Disaster in Rural Pakistan," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 49-66.
    6. Janet Currie, 2009. "Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise: Socioeconomic Status, Poor Health in Childhood, and Human Capital Development," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 47(1), pages 87-122, March.
    7. Janet Currie & Enrico Moretti, 2003. "Mother's Education and the Intergenerational Transmission of Human Capital: Evidence from College Openings," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 118(4), pages 1495-1532.
    8. Michael Geruso & Dean Spears, 2018. "Neighborhood Sanitation and Infant Mortality," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 10(2), pages 125-162, April.
    9. Joyce J. Chen & Valerie Mueller & Yuanyuan Jia & Steven Kuo-Hsin Tseng, 2017. "Validating Migration Responses to Flooding Using Satellite and Vital Registration Data," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 107(5), pages 441-445, May.
    10. del Ninno, Carlo & Lundberg, Mattias, 2005. "Treading water: The long-term impact of the 1998 flood on nutrition in Bangladesh," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 3(1), pages 67-96, March.
    11. Gilbert, R.A. & Rainbolt, C.R. & Morris, D.R. & McCray, J.M., 2008. "Sugarcane growth and yield responses to a 3-month summer flood," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 95(3), pages 283-291, March.
    12. Banerjee, Lopamudra, 2007. "Effect of Flood on Agricultural Wages in Bangladesh: An Empirical Analysis," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 35(11), pages 1989-2009, November.
    13. Mottaleb, Khondoker Abdul & Gumma, Murali K. & Mishra, Ashok K. & Mohanty, Samarendu, 2015. "Quantifying production losses due to drought and submergence of rainfed rice at the household level using remotely sensed MODIS data," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 227-235.
    14. Chau, Vu Ngoc & Cassells, Sue M. & Holland, John, 2014. "Measuring direct losses to rice production from extreme flood events in Quang Nam province, Vietnam," 2014 Conference (58th), February 4-7, 2014, Port Macquarie, Australia 165813, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.
    15. Acharya, Avidit & Blackwell, Matthew & Sen, Maya, 2016. "Explaining Causal Findings Without Bias: Detecting and Assessing Direct Effects," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 110(3), pages 512-529, August.
    16. Raymond Guiteras & Amir Jina & A. Mushfiq Mobarak, 2015. "Satellites, Self-Reports, and Submersion: Exposure to Floods in Bangladesh," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 105(5), pages 232-236, May.
    17. Lopamudra Banerjee, 2010. "Effects of Flood on Agricultural Productivity in Bangladesh," Oxford Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(3), pages 339-356.
    18. Goudet, S.M. & Faiz, S. & Bogin, B.A. & Griffiths, P.L., 2011. "Pregnant women's and community health workers' perceptions of root causes of malnutrition among infants and young children in the slums of Dhaka, Bangladesh," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 101(7), pages 1225-1233.
    19. Ghimire, Ramesh & Ferreira, Susana & Dorfman, Jeffrey H., 2015. "Flood-Induced Displacement and Civil Conflict," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 614-628.
    20. Hirvonen, Kalle, 2016. "Rural–urban differences in children’s dietary diversity in Ethiopia: A Poisson decomposition analysis," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 12-15.
    21. V. Mueller & C. Gray & K. Kosec, 2014. "Heat stress increases long-term human migration in rural Pakistan," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 4(3), pages 182-185, March.
    22. Riley, Emma, 2018. "Mobile money and risk sharing against village shocks," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 43-58.
    23. Karim, Azreen, 2018. "The Household Response to Persistent Natural Disasters: Evidence from Bangladesh," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 40-59.
    24. Huber, Martin, 2019. "A review of causal mediation analysis for assessing direct and indirect treatment effects," FSES Working Papers 500, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, University of Freiburg/Fribourg Switzerland.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Vaid, Shashank & Donthu, Naveen, 2023. "When injured product users may also stay satisfied: A macro-level analysis," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    2. Cozac, Marina & Mende, Martin & Scott, Maura L., 2023. "Consumer preferences for fuel snacks at the intersection of caregiving stress and gender," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    3. Sarah Avellar & Alexandra Stanczyk & Daniel Friend, "undated". "Structuring Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Workshops for Strong Attendance: Workshop Characteristics Associated with Client Participation," Mathematica Policy Research Reports eac090d41f504045a2a5b6e14, Mathematica Policy Research.
    4. Corazza, Ilaria & Pennucci, Francesca & De Rosis, Sabina, 2021. "Promoting healthy eating habits among youth according to their preferences: Indications from a discrete choice experiment in Tuscany," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(7), pages 947-955.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Shaikh M. S. U. Eskander & Edward B. Barbier, 2023. "Adaptation to Natural Disasters through the Agricultural Land Rental Market: Evidence from Bangladesh," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 99(1), pages 141-160.
    2. Barbora Šedová & Lucia Čizmaziová & Athene Cook, 2021. "A meta-analysis of climate migration literature," CEPA Discussion Papers 29, Center for Economic Policy Analysis.
    3. Bevis, Leah & Kim, Kichan & Guerena, David, 2023. "Soil zinc deficiency and child stunting: Evidence from Nepal," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    4. Sundar Ponnusamy, 2022. "Rainfall shocks, child mortality, and water infrastructure," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(7), pages 1317-1338, July.
    5. Berenger Djoumessi Tiague, 2023. "Floods, Agricultural Production, and Household Welfare: Evidence from Tanzania," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 85(2), pages 341-384, June.
    6. Carolyn B. Reyes & Heather Randell, 2023. "Household Shocks and Adolescent Well-Being in Peru," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 42(3), pages 1-22, June.
    7. Thiede, Brian C. & Gray, Clark, 2020. "Climate exposures and child undernutrition: Evidence from Indonesia," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).
    8. Ahsanuzzaman, & Islam, Muhammad Q., 2020. "Children’s vulnerability to natural disasters: Evidence from natural experiments in Bangladesh," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 19(C).
    9. Diane Coffey & Ashwini Deshpande & Jeffrey Hammer & Dean Spears, 2019. "Local Social Inequality, Economic Inequality, and Disparities in Child Height in India," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 56(4), pages 1427-1452, August.
    10. Shaikh M. S. U. Eskander & Sam Fankhauser, 2022. "Income Diversification and Income Inequality: Household Responses to the 2013 Floods in Pakistan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, January.
    11. Amin, Vikesh & Lundborg, Petter & Rooth, Dan-Olof, 2015. "The intergenerational transmission of schooling: Are mothers really less important than fathers?," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 100-117.
    12. Guglielmo Zappalà, 2023. "Drought Exposure and Accuracy: Motivated Reasoning in Climate Change Beliefs," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 85(3), pages 649-672, August.
    13. Bratti, Massimiliano & Mendola, Mariapia, 2014. "Parental health and child schooling," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 94-108.
    14. Cristina Cattaneo & Emanuele Massetti, 2019. "Does Harmful Climate Increase Or Decrease Migration? Evidence From Rural Households In Nigeria," Climate Change Economics (CCE), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 10(04), pages 1-36, November.
    15. Pritha Dev & Blessing U. Mberu & Roland Pongou, 2016. "Ethnic Inequality: Theory and Evidence from Formal Education in Nigeria," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 64(4), pages 603-660.
    16. Fitzsimons, Emla & Malde, Bansi & Mesnard, Alice & Vera-Hernández, Marcos, 2016. "Nutrition, information and household behavior: Experimental evidence from Malawi," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 113-126.
    17. Mark E. Mcgovern, 2013. "Still Unequal at Birth: Birth Weight,Socio-economic Status and Outcomes at Age 9," The Economic and Social Review, Economic and Social Studies, vol. 44(1), pages 53-84.
    18. Sedova, Barbora & Kalkuhl, Matthias, 2020. "Who are the climate migrants and where do they go? Evidence from rural India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    19. Daniel Kemptner & Jan Marcus, 2013. "Spillover effects of maternal education on child’s health and health behavior," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 11(1), pages 29-52, March.
    20. Thao Bui, 2023. "Compulsory education reform and child mortality in Peru," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(9), pages 1941-1963, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:146:y:2021:i:c:s0305750x21000899. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/worlddev .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.