Predicted and Observed Child Health Indicators in Haiti: Exploring the Impact of the 2010 Earthquake at National and Regional Levels

The 2010 Haitian earthquake caused catastrophic damage within the impact zone and had a profound effect on social, economic and political conditions within Haiti since the disaster. Regional variations in the severity of disaster impact and the social and economic consequences have been encountered. The 2010 Haitian earthquake occurred within a country with a history of poor child health indicators and outcomes. The indicators include child nutritional status, immunization status, and diarrheal disease treatment. Despite the low performance on many child health indicators, data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) have shown national-level improvements in key child health indictors in the three surveys conducted prior to the earthquake. These improvements continued in the 2012 DHS despite the 2010 earthquake and cholera outbreak. The purpose of this study is to determine national and regional differences in child health indictors in Haiti and to examine the influence of the disaster on predicted child health indicators. Simple extrapolation method was employed to calculate the estimates. The results show a difference between expected and observed values, with observed values indicating poor health outcomes for children compared what was predicted based on the previous three time points. Further, regional variations were apparent and linked to proximity to the earthquake impact zone and family composition. The results provide evidence of the effects of the disaster on child health in Haiti.