Table 1 Study Characteristics and summary of findings
Author, year | Country | Study Design and Type of data | Sample size | Year data collected | Study Setting | Age of children(months) | Time flood occurred | Duration after the flood when the study was conducted | Exposure measure | Outcome assessed | Significant outcome due to flood exposure | Summary of findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stewart et al., 1990 [23] | Bangladesh | Cross-sectional study, Primary | 281(Oct), 264(Dec) | October& Dec 1988 | Rural | 6–35 | September 1988 | one month (Oct); 3 months (Dec) post-flood | None reported | Stunting, wasting & underweight | None reported | No significant difference in mean % NCHS median for wasting, underweight and stunting between October and December (3 months after floods) |
Choudhury and Bhuiya, 1993 [24] | Bangladesh | Cross-sectional-Household based nutrition survey, Primary | 906 pre-flood & 888 post-flood | Pre-flood March–April 1987 and Post-flood June-July 1988 | Rural | 0–23 | July to December 1987 | 6 months | Pre-flood and post-flood exposure in severely exposed and moderately exposed areas | Underweight | Underweight | Post-flood underweight increased to 11% after the flood compared to 5% before the flood (p < 0.001). The proportions of severely malnourished children in less flood-affected villages during the pre-flood and post-flood periods remained more or less constant at 12% and 11%, respectively, and were insignificant. The impact of floods on underweight was statistically significant (β = 0.48 p < 0.05) |
del Ninno C et al., 2001 [25]a | Bangladesh | Cross-sectional study-Household survey, Secondary | 384 | Between November 1998 and December 1999 | Rural | 0–59 | July to September 1998 | 2 months | Flood exposure index (categories, i.e., moderate, severe & very severe) | Stunting & wasting | Stunting & wasting | After the floods, 24% of pre-school children (0-5 years) were wasted while 55% were stunted. A child living in a household that was severely exposed to the floods had seven times (OR = 7.30) increased risk of being wasted than one not exposed. The increased risk was almost five times (OR = 4.87 for households that were very severely exposed to floods. Floods also led to a significant increase in stunting (OR = 2.18) for children living in very severely exposed households |
Hossain & Kolsteren, 2003 [26] | Bangladesh | Cross-sectional study, Secondary | 180 common to both surveys (August and December) | August &December 1998 | Rural | 6–59 | July to October 1998 | 4 months | None reported | Wasting | Wasting | 8% of those who were normal during the floods became malnourished 4 months later. In addition, 4% of those who were malnourished during the floods, remained malnourished after the floods. There was a significant decline in the prevalence of wasting, i.e., from 17% in August to 12% in December(p = 0.011) |
del Ninno & Lundberg, 2005 [27] | Bangladesh | Cross-sectional study Household based survey, Secondary | 237(Measured in all the 3 rounds) | Between November 1998 and December 1999 | Rural | 0–59 | July to September 1998 | 2 months, 6 months (April 1999) & 15 months post-flood | Household flood exposure index (categories i.e. not exposed, moderate, severe & very severe) | Stunting and wasting | Stunting | There was a significant difference in HFA mean z-scores (p < 0.05) for children older than one year from flooded compared to non-flooded areas. No significant difference in wasting for flooded compared to non-flooded |
Goudet et al., 2011 [28] | Bangladesh | Cross-sectional study-Household based survey, Secondary | 143 | Between November 1998 and December 1999 | Rural | 12–36 | July to September 1998 | 2 months (baseline) and 15 months | Household flood exposure index (categories, i.e., not exposed, moderate, severe & very severe) | Stunting, wasting and underweight | stunting & wasting | Severe and moderate levels of flood exposure were observed as predictors of stunting (OR = 8.210, 95% CI: 1.194–56.464, significant at 5% level) and wasting (OR = 25.06, 95% CI: 1.81–347.45, significant at 5% level), respectively. For underweight children, there were no significant effects observed |
Rodriguez-Llanes et al., 2011 [14] | India | Cross-sectional study-community based, Primary | 352 | Sep-09 | Rural | 6–59 | September 2008 (similarly flooded in August 2006) | one month | Level of children's exposure to floods, i.e., flooded vs non-flooded | Stunting, wasting and underweight | stunting & underweight | The prevalence of stunting was 38.7% in the flooded compared to the non-flooded areas (23.0%). The prevalence of underweight was higher in children living in flooded areas (20.9%) compared to those from non-flooded areas (13.1%). The prevalence of wasting was similar in children in the flooded areas compared to those in the non-flooded with 12.2% and 11.9%, respectively. Children living in flooded communities were more likely to be stunted (Adjusted PR = 1.60, 95% CI:1.05–2.44) and underweight (Adjusted PR = 1.86 95% CI: 1.04–3.30) but not wasted (Adjusted PR = 1.21, 95% CI: 0.61–2.42) relative to those in the non-flooded villages |
Hossain et al., 2013 [29] | Pakistan | Cross-sectional study, Primary | 2819 | Oct-Dec 2010 | Rural & Urban | 6–59 | July and August 2010 | 2 months | Not stated | Stunting, wasting, underweight and Micronutrient deficiencies (Vitamin A, D and iron deficiency anaemia) | None reported | Wasting was higher in severely flooded areas (21–23%) compared to moderately flooded areas (14%). Underweight in severely flooded areas was higher (46–48%) compared to less affected areas (39–40%). The prevalence of stunting was higher in severely flooded areas (52–54%) compared to moderately flooded areas (47–53%). In the other study area that was severely flooded, 16% of the children were wasted, 48% were stunted, 65% were underweight, 55% were Vitamin A deficient, 58% were Vitamin D deficient, and 78% were anaemic |
Quddus and Bauer, 2013 [30] | Bangladesh | Cross-sectional study-community based, Primary | 156 | January-June 2009 | Rural | 24–59 | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Stunting, wasting and underweight | None reported | In the river-flooded communities, the prevalence of underweight was higher (70.2%), followed by wasting (56%) and stunting (40.4%). However, the nutrition indicators’ prevalence was lower in river-flooded as compared to the non-flooded areas (Hills/forest and coastal areas) |
Islam et al., 2014 [31] | India | Cross-sectional study-community based, Primary | 500 | 2011–2012 | Rural | 0–59 | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Stunting, wasting and underweight | None reported | The prevalence of stunting was higher (30.4%), followed by underweight (29%) and wasting (21.6%). The prevalence of wasting in the flood-affected areas was higher (21.6%) compared to the non-flood-affected areas (13.7%) |
Rodriguez-Llanes et al., 2016a [32] | India | Cross-sectional survey population-based, Primary | 879 | September-09 | Rural | 6–59 | September 2008 (similarly flooded in August 2006) | One year | Flood villages vs non-flooded | Stunting, wasting and underweight | Wasting & underweight | The prevalence of wasting among children in areas flooded in 2006 and 2008 was 51.6%, 41.4% in those flooded only in 2008, and 21.2% in children inhabiting non-flooded communities. The increased prevalence of wasting and underweight for children in flooded compared to non-flooded communities was significant, while stunting was not significant. The Adjusted Prevalence Ratio (APR) of wasting in flooded communities relative to the non-flooded was 2.30 95% CI 1.86–2.85 for those flooded twice (2006 and 2008) and 1.94, 95% CI: 1.43–2.63) for those flooded once in 2008. Children additionally exposed to floods in 2008 had more than three times higher prevalence of severe wasting relative to those from the non-flooded areas (APR: 3.37, 95% CI: 2.34–4.86), and this effect nearly doubled that of those only exposed to 2008 floods. The adjusted Prevalence(APR) of underweight in flooded communities relative to the non-flooded was 1.48, 95% CI: 1.21–1.81 for those flooded twice (2006 and 2008) and 1.53, 95% CI: 1.09–2.13 for those flooded once in 2008 |
Rodriguez-Llanes et al., 2016b [33] | India | Cross-sectional survey population-based, Primary | 879 | September 2009 | Rural | 6–59 | September 2008 (similarly flooded in August 2006) | One year | Exposure to floods, i.e., flooded vs non-flooded | Stunting and wasting | None reported | The prevalence of stunting was relatively similar in flooded (30.4%) and non-flooded areas (29.0%). Prevalence of wasting was higher in flooded (51.5%) as compared to non-flooded areas (20.3% |
Gaire et al., 2016 [34] | Nepal | Cross-sectional survey population-based, Secondary | 2,111 | Between February and June 2011 | Rural & Urban | 6–59 | 2007–2010 | 1-4yrs | Flood vs non-flooded | Stunting | Stunting | Floods significantly impacted severe and moderate stunting i.e., adjusted OR = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.31, 0.96 and adjusted OR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.41, 0.94 respectively |
Dimitrova and Bora, 2020 [35] | India | Cross-sectional survey population-based, Secondary | 256,244 | 2015–2016 | Rural &Urban | 0–59 | 2009–2016 | 1-6 years | SPEI index (Standardized precipitation and evapotranspiration) >  = 2 categorised as flood events | Stunting and wasting | Stunting | Exposure to monsoon season floods in infancy increased the risk of severe stunting by 4%(OR = 1.040, 95% CI: 1.011–1.070) |