Storms are one of the most frequent natural hazards and are expected to become more extreme as climate change proceeds. This paper investigates storms classified as disasters and infant mortality in the Philippines. Data from the Philippine Demographic and Health Surveys from 2003, 2008, and 2017 are combined with data on storms from the Emergency Events Database (EM -DAT) and the Geocoded Disasters Dataset. Storms included in EM-DAT are disasters with human and economic impact on the population. The lagged and immediate impact of storms are considered by including disasters occurring from five years prior to birth to two months after birth. The data are analysed with linear probability models and mother fixed-effects. The results show limited or no association between storms and infant mortality, which reflects a positive overall development in the Philippines over recent years. Improvements in disaster management systems are likely to have made communities and households more resilient.
Climate change poses a significant threat to mental health, potentially increasing the rates of mental health adversities and disorders. Therefore, mental health professionals, including psychiatrists, play a crucial role in addressing and mitigating these consequences. The Philippines, as a highly climate-vulnerable nation, serves as an exemplary case highlighting the roles these professionals can undertake in the climate change response, including providing services, engaging in education and training, promoting mental well-being, and conducting surveillance and research, such as studies exploring the causal relationship between mental health outcomes and climate change.
Background: Because of its geographical location, the Philippines is vulnerable to the effects of climate change and almost all types of natural hazards such as typhoons, earth-quakes, and volcanic eruptions. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the Philip-pines and is one of the major public health concerns. Little is known about how climate change affects cancer services in the Philippines. As the biggest workforce in most institutions, having awareness and knowledge about disaster preparedness and management among nurses can help in reducing the devastating effects of natural disasters on health services. Thus, it is important to understand Filipino nurses’ experiences and perception of the impact of climate change on healthcare delivery and cancer care in the Philippines.Aim: This study explored Filipino nurses’ experiences and perception of the impact of climate change on healthcare delivery and cancer care in the Philippines.Methods: This is a descriptive qualitative exploratory study. Participants were recruited using the snowballing technique and completed an online survey. Forty-six nurses who were working in Luzon, Philippines at the time of the data collection were included in the analysis. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.Findings: Three themes were identified, namely: (1) effects of climate change causing disruption and delay in provision of patient care, (2) impact of climate change on nurses and a deep sense of duty, and (3) perceived impact on patients with cancer.Conclusion: Our study findings contribute to the existing literature that focuses on the impact of climate change-related events such as typhoons and floods on healthcare services and nursing staff. Several areas of cancer care are also impacted, particularly delays in treatment such as chemotherapy. Despite the challenges, the nurses in our study demonstrated a deep sense of commitment in carrying out their roles.
BACKGROUND: Traffic enforcers are vulnerable to work accidents, injuries, and illnesses because they are commonly exposed to ergonomic risk factors while performing their tasks. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of environmental risk factors and postural risk factor to the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among traffic enforcers in Manila City, Philippines using binary logistic regression analysis. METHODS: A total of 120 participants were included in the study. The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) and Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) were utilized. In addition, several devices such as a noise dosimeter, digital air thermometer, and IAQ sensors were also utilized to measure the environmental exposure of enforcers during their work shift. RESULTS: The prevalence of MSDs among traffic enforcers was high, with 71% of the respondents reporting symptoms of MSDs in more than one part of the body for the past 7 days. The body part that has highest prevalence was upper back, followed by lower back, and legs/ankles. Logistic regression analysis revealed that awkward work posture (OR = 4.61, 95% CI = 2.17, 9.83), noise exposure (OR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.11, 1.82), heat exposure (OR = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.85, 1.05), and pollution exposure (OR = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.85, 1.05) were significant contributors for the prevalence of MSDs among traffic enforcers in Manila City. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of MSDs among traffic enforcers is caused by their work posture and exposure to psychosocial factors such as noise, heat, and poor air quality. Thus, to minimize the risk of MSDs, it is suggested to provide administrative controls, such as job rotation or shifting, and introduce frequent rest breaks. It is also recommended to provide enforcers with appropriate personal protective equipment, such as cooling vests, noise-canceling earplugs and N95 facemasks. This would help in uplifting musculoskeletal health for traffic enforcers and other workers in a similar field.
Dengue is the fastest emerging arboviral disease in the world, imposing a substantial health and economic burden in the tropics and subtropics. The mosquito, Aedes aegypti, is the primary vector of dengue in the Philippines. We examined the genetic structure of Ae. aegypti populations collected from the Philippine major islands (Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao), each with highland (Baguio city, Cebu city mountains and Maramag, Bukidnon, respectively) and lowland sites (Quezon city; Liloan, Cebu and Cagayan de Oro [CDO] city, respectively) during the wet (2017-2018 and 2018-2019) and dry seasons (2018 and 2019). Mosquitoes (n = 1800) were reared from field-collected eggs and immatures, and were analyzed using 12 microsatellite loci. Generalized linear model analyses revealed yearly variations between highlands and lowlands in the major islands as supported by Bayesian clustering analyses on: 1) stronger selection (inbreeding coefficient, F(IS) = 0.52) in 2017-2018 than in 2018-2019 (F(IS) = 0.32) as influenced by rainfall, 2) the number of non-neutral loci indicating selection, and 3) differences of effective population size although at p = 0.05. Across sites except Baguio and CDO cities: 1) F(IS) varied seasonally as influenced by relative humidity (RH), and 2) the number of non-neutral loci varied as influenced by RH and rainfall indicating selection. Human-mediated activities and not isolation by distance influenced genetic differentiations of mosquito populations within (F(ST) = 0.04) the major islands and across sites (global F(ST) = 0.16). Gene flow (Nm) and potential first generation migrants among populations were observed between lowlands and highlands within and across major islands. Our results suggest that dengue control strategies in the epidemic wet season are to be changed into whole year-round approach, and water pipelines are to be installed in rural mountains to prevent the potential breeding sites of mosquitoes.
Storms continue to be the deadliest type of weather-related disasters globally. The Philippines is one of the most at risk countries to disasters, yet there continues to be gaps in understanding where and why people are killed in typhoons – the country’s most prominent natural hazard. This research sought to understand how typhoon mortality varies across the Philippines at the municipal level, focusing on differences in rural and urban municipalities between 2005 and 2015. Generalised linear regression models (GLMs), including Poisson and negative binomial (NB), were used to analyse the relationship between typhoon mortality and level of urbanisation while controlling for social vulnerability and typhoon exposure. Findings indicate that typhoon mortality is disproportionality concentrated in emerging, rather than established, urban centres. Deaths from typhoons were significantly higher per capita in older age groups and amongst men, with drowning accounting for 71% of deaths, although there is uncertainty in these later trends which show the need for investment in national disaster databases. Our results make contributions to understanding of urban-rural patterns of disaster risk and the determinants of typhoon mortality in the Philippines.
BACKGROUND: Enteric infections cause significant deaths, and global projection studies suggest that mortality from enteric infections will increase in the future with warmer climate. However, a major limitation of these projection studies is the use of risk estimates derived from nonmortality data to project excess enteric infection mortality associated with temperature because of the lack of studies that used actual deaths. OBJECTIVE: We quantified the associations of daily temperature with both mortality and hospital admissions due to enteric infections in the Philippines. These associations were applied to projections under various climate and population change scenarios. METHODS: We modeled nonlinear temperature associations of mortality and hospital admissions due to enteric infections in 17 administrative regions of the Philippines using a two-stage time-series approach. First, we quantified nonlinear temperature associations of enteric infections by fitting generalized linear models with distributed lag nonlinear models. Second, we combined regional estimates using a meta-regression model. We projected the excess future enteric infections due to nonoptimal temperatures using regional temperature-enteric infection associations under various combinations of climate change scenarios according to representative concentration pathways (RCPs) and population change scenarios according to shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs) for 2010-2099. RESULTS: Regional estimates for mortality and hospital admissions were significantly heterogeneous and had varying shapes in association with temperature. Generally, mortality risks were greater in high temperatures, whereas hospital admission risks were greater in low temperatures. Temperature-attributable excess deaths in 2090-2099 were projected to increase over 2010-2019 by as little as 1.3% [95% empirical confidence intervals (eCI): – 3.1%, 6.5%] under a low greenhouse gas emission scenario (RCP 2.6) or as much as 25.5% (95% eCI: – 3.5%, 48.2%) under a high greenhouse gas emission scenario (RCP 8.5). A moderate increase was projected for temperature-attributable excess hospital admissions, from 0.02% (95% eCI: – 2.0%, 1.9%) under RCP 2.6 to 5.2% (95% eCI: – 12.7%, 21.8%) under RCP 8.5 in the same period. High temperature-attributable deaths and hospital admissions due to enteric infections may occur under scenarios with high population growth in 2090-2099. DISCUSSION: In the Philippines, futures with hotter temperatures and high population growth may lead to a greater increase in temperature-related excess deaths than hospital admissions due to enteric infections. Our results highlight the need to strengthen existing primary health care interventions for diarrhea and support health adaptation policies to help reduce future enteric infections. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP9324.
Purpose: In the realm of disaster risk reduction (DRR) efforts and disaster resilience discipline globally, the impacts of disasters at the family level – especially in terms of interpersonal relationships – remain largely understudied. This paper aims to explore the impacts of postdisaster relocation on the internal dynamics of families in Southville 7 in Calauan, Laguna, Philippines during the aftermath of the 2009 typhoon Ketsana, and endeavors to inform institutional policies to strengthen families’ disaster resilience. Design/methodology/approach Purposive sampling was applied in choosing the 20 participating families for the case study of Site III, Southville 7 – a relocation site housing more than 3,000 displaced families from Metro Manila during typhoon Ketsana. Data gathering methods such as semistructured interviews and personal observations were used during fieldwork, the findings of which were coded to reveal the study’s analytical themes. Findings Research findings reveal that the impacts of postdisaster relocation to family dynamics could be classified into seven broad categories: family composition and structure; members’ roles; parenting; parents’ marital relationship; familial relationship; family member’s personalities; and death and disabilities. The interplay between these impacts results in either stronger overall family cohesion or further relational ruptures. Originality/value By spotlighting the impacts of disasters on overall family dynamics in the context of postdisaster relocation, this study seeks to elevate the place of the family in the DRR and disaster resilience discourse.
As we commemorate the 40th anniversary of the discovery of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) while fighting the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, another global crisis – climate change – is threatening the progress achieved so far in the global fight against HIV/AIDS. The climate emergency is anticipated to generate dire health consequences worldwide in the coming decades. While the pathways that link climate change and different disease areas are better understood, the connection between climate change and HIV/AIDS is still yet to be recognized both in research and practice. In this review, we update one of the frameworks on the HIV-climate nexus described in earlier literature. Four major pathways have been identified: extreme weather events; sea level rise; changes in precipitation and temperature; and increased air pollution. These pathways impact the spectrum of HIV/AIDS-related outcomes through changes in social systems, healthcare disruption, and other climate-sensitive diseases, influenced by the social determinants of health. We also reflect on the significance of this updated framework for the Philippines, a country that is both highly vulnerable to the climate crisis and facing a rising HIV/AIDS epidemic. The framework can aid countries like the Philippines in filling gaps in research, policy, and program design to mount climate-adaptive HIV/AIDS responses. The HIV/AIDS and climate justice movements must also join forces in calling for accelerated worldwide decline in greenhouse gas emissions from all sectors to stabilize the global climate – this will benefit not just people affected by HIV/AIDS but everyone.
Several countries have been affected by natural hazards during the COVID-19 pandemic. The combination of the pandemic and natural hazards has led to serious challenges that include financial losses and psychosocial stress. Additionally, this compound disaster affected evacuation decision making, where to evacuate, volunteer participation in mitigation and recovery, volunteer support acceptance, and interest in other hazard risks. This study investigated the impact of COVID-19 on disaster response and recovery from various types of hazards, with regard to preparedness, evacuation, volunteering, early recovery, awareness and knowledge of different types of hazards, and preparedness capacity development. This study targets hazards such as Cyclone Amphan in India, the Kumamoto flood in Japan, Typhoon Rolly in the Philippines, and the California wildfires in the U.S. This study made several recommendations, such as the fact that mental health support must be taken into consideration during COVID-19 recovery. It is necessary to improve the genral condition of evacuation centers in order to encourage people to act immediately. A pandemic situation necessitates a strong communication strategy and campaign with particular regard to the safety of evacuation centers, the necessity of a lockdown, and the duration required for it to reduce the psychological impact. Both national and local governments are expected to strengthen their disaster risk reduction (DRR) capacity, which calls for the multi-hazard management of disaster risk at all levels and across all sectors.
Disasters and climate-related risks displace millions of people each year. Planned relocation is one strategy used to address displacement and is increasingly being analyzed for the potential opportunities and challenges it creates for relocated people. However, little attention has been paid to the secondary impacts of planned relocations, and how they influence the risk, vulnerability and well-being of other groups, particularly people who live on the land that is selected for relocation sites, or in neighboring areas. This paper explores how current and potential future planned relocations in Fiji and the Philippines redistribute vulnerabilities to non-target communities who previously lived on, or alongside, relocation site land. The notion of cascading displacement is introduced to illustrate a serious consequence of planned relocations in which insecurity and displacement are re-created and perpetuated due to a failure to consider the needs of non-target groups who are directly disadvantaged by relocation processes. Insights from this paper may be used to inform future relocation policy and practice for more equitable and sustainable outcomes for all involved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
This study focuses on an arts-based mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) intervention in the form of TOT (training of trainers) conducted under the auspices of IsraAID in the aftermath of the Yolanda typhoon in the Philippines in 2013. Interviews were conducted with 10 female education and healthcare professionals, who also made drawings of their experiences. The goal was to better understand how they evaluated the training program, both for themselves and their communities. Analysis of the interviews and drawings, based on the principles of Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR), identified three main domains: (1) Supportive and inhibiting factors for participants in the training course; (2) Supportive and inhibiting factors with respect to the participants’ implementation of the training goals in their local communities; (3) Perceptions of the benefits of the training program for the participants and their communities. The discussion centers on the value of the creative process, the importance of the group in the training course and in the context of multiculturalism, and the impact these factors in interventions applying the TOT model.
The present study examined the measurement and antecedents of positive mental health in people who concurrently experienced two disasters of different nature (i.e., typhoons and COVID-19 crisis), focusing on the survivors of typhoons Vamco and Goni that hit the Philippines in November 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. First, we investigated the psychometric prop-erties of Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF), a well-validated measure of positive mental health dimensions (i.e., emotional, social, and psychological well-being) by: 1) comparing the structural validity of three measurement models including a single-factor, bifactor, and three-factor solutions of positive mental health; 2) looking into the criterion validity through corre-lating the MHC-SF subscales with relevant measures; and 3) calculating for item reliability. Second, we examined the mediating role of social responsibility in the positive influence of community resilience on the three dimensions of positive mental health. Using 447 participants, with ages ranging from 18 to 70 years old, confirmatory factor analysis showed that compared to the single-factor and the bifactor models, the intercorrelated three-factor model of MHC-SF has the best model fit and most stable factor loadings. MHC-SF subscales correlated with relevant measures indicating criterion validity and yielded excellent internal consistency for all subscales. Additionally, results showed that social responsibility mediated the positive impact of community resilience on emotional, social, and psychological well-being of Filipinos in times of great ad-versities. The findings were discussed within the context of extreme weather events and the COVID-19 crisis in the Philippines, highlighting implications on disaster preparedness and mental health policies at the community level.
Assessment of urban river sediment quality is paramount to understanding the impacts of urbanization on aquatic ecosystems and public health. The study evaluated the health impacts and sources of heavy metal pollutants in the Mangonbangon river, Tacloban City. With the abundance of heavy metal contaminants in the river sediment (Fe>Mn>Zn>Cu>Cr>Ni>Co), Hazard indices (HIs) ranged from 0.04 to 0.10 for adults and 0.31 to 0.90 for children suggesting little or no non-carcinogenic effects to the population. Lifetime cancer risk (LCR) is below the tolerable threshold of 10(-4), with Co contributing 61% of the cancer risk. Using unconstrained ordination and the GIS-based method (UOGM), we showed two non-multidimensional scaling groups of pollutants distributed based on dwelling density, presence of informal settlers, and types of activity at the sample sites. Given that sampling was performed three years after the city-wide destruction by Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda), our analysis indicated the return of anthropogenic activities and pollution-related health problems in Tacloban. Our results reinforce the urgent need for proper river management and economic zoning to help curb the rapidly growing heavy metal pollution problem at its earliest stage.
Objective: This study aimed to 1) investigate the psychometric properties of the Climate Change Anxiety Scale or CCAS (Clayton & Karazsia, 2020) and 2) examine the mediating role of climate change anxiety on the link between experience of climate change and behavioural engagement in climate mitigation in Filipino youth. Method: A total of 452 Filipino adolescents responded to the survey (Mean Age = 19.18, SD = .99). Results: A modified two-factor model of the CCAS displayed superior fit relative to the other three models tested. Confirmatory factor analysis in Phase 1 yielded a stable two-factor structure with strong factor loadings and good internal consistency. In Phase 2, cognitive-emotional, but not the functional impairment component of climate anxiety, showed a mediating effect on the relationship between experience of climate change and behavioural engagement in climate mitigation. Conclusions: This study is the first to demonstrate that CCAS subscales have distinct mediating roles in linking Filipino adolescents’ experience of climate change and mitigation behaviours. Further validation of the CCAS is recommended, as well as further research on the factors that can promote environment-friendly behaviours in Filipino youth.
Epidemiological studies have quantified the association between ambient temperature and diarrhoea. However, to our knowledge, no study has quantified the temperature association for severe diarrhoea cases. In this study, we quantified the association between mean temperature and two severe diarrhoea outcomes, which were mortality and hospital admissions accompanied with dehydration and/or co-morbidities. Using a 12-year dataset of three urban districts of the National Capital Region, Philippines, we modelled the non-linear association between weekly temperatures and weekly severe diarrhoea cases using a two-stage time series analysis. We computed the relative risks at the 95th (30.4 °C) and 5th percentiles (25.8 °C) of temperatures using minimum risk temperatures (MRTs) as the reference to quantify the association with high- and low-temperatures, respectively. The shapes of the cumulative associations were generally J-shaped with greater associations towards high temperatures. Mortality risks were found to increase by 53.3% [95% confidence interval (CI): 29.4%; 81.7%)] at 95th percentile of weekly mean temperatures compared with the MRT (28.2 °C). Similarly, the risk of hospitalised severe diarrhoea increased by 27.1% (95% CI: 0.7%; 60.4%) at 95th percentile in mean weekly temperatures compared with the MRT (28.6 °C). With the increased risk of severe diarrhoea cases under high ambient temperature, there may be a need to strengthen primary healthcare services and sustain the improvements made in water, sanitation, and hygiene, particularly in poor communities.
In the Southeast Asian region, the Philippines and Malaysia are two of the most affected by Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). Using long-term observations of HAB events, we determined if these are increasing in frequency and duration, and expanding across space in each country. Blooms of Paralytic Shellfish Toxin (PST)-producing species in the Philippines did increase in frequency and duration during the early to mid-1990s, but have stabilized since then. However, the number of sites affected by these blooms continue to expand though at a slower rate than in the 1990s. Furthermore, the type of HABs and causative species have diversified for both toxic blooms and fish kill events. In contrast, Malaysia showed no increasing trend in the frequency of toxic blooms over the past three decades since Pyrodinium bahamense was reported in 1976. However, similar to the Philippines, other PST producers such as Alexandrium minutum and Alexandrium tamiyavanichii have become a concern. No amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) has been confirmed in either Philippines or Malaysia thus far, while ciguatera fish poisoning cases are known from the Philippines and Malaysia but the causative organisms remain poorly studied. Since the 1990s and early 2000s, recognition of the distribution of other PST-producing species such as species of Alexandrium and Gymnodinium catenatum in Southeast Asia has grown, though there has been no significant expansion in the known distributions within the last decade. A major more recent problem in the two countries and for Southeast Asia in general are the frequent fish-killing algal blooms of various species such as Prorocentrum cordatum, Margalefidinium polykrikoides, Chattonella spp., and unarmored dinoflagellates (e.g., Karlodinium australe and Takayama sp.). These new sites affected and the increase in types of HABs and causative species could be attributed to various factors such as introduction through mariculture and eutrophication, and partly because of increased scientific awareness. These connections still need to be more concretely investigated. The link to the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) should also be better understood if we want to discern how climate change plays a role in these patterns of HAB occurrences.
This study examines how human capital develops in response to early-life weather and pollution exposures in the Philippines. Both pollution and weather are examined in relation to short- and long-term human capital outcomes. We combine a three-decade longitudinal survey measuring human capital development, a database of historical weather, and multiple databases characterizing carbon monoxide and ozone in the Philippines during the 1980s. We find evidence that extreme precipitation and temperature affect short-term anthropometric outcomes, but long-term outcomes appear unaffected. For long-term cognitive outcomes, we find that early-life pollution exposures negatively affect test scores and schooling. These long-term responses to early-life pollution exposures extend to the labor market with reduced hours worked and earnings. The implication is that a 25 per cent reduction in early-life ozone exposure would increase per person discounted lifetime earnings by $1,367, which would scale to $2.05 billion at the national level (or 2 per cent of 2005 GDP).
Oncomelania hupensis quadrasi is the snail intermediate host of Schistosoma japonicum in the Philippines. It was discovered by Dr. Marcos Tubangui in 1932 more than two decades after the discovery of the disease in the country in 1906. This review, the first for O. h. quadrasi, presents past and present works on the taxonomy, biology, ecology, control, possible paleogeographic origin of the snail intermediate host and future in research, control and surveillance of the snail. Extensive references are made of other subspecies of O. hupensis such as the subspecies in China for which majority of the advances has been accomplished. Contrasting views on whether the snail is to be considered an independent species of Oncomelania or as one of several subspecies of Oncomelania hupensis are presented. Snail control methods such as chemical methods using synthetic and botanical molluscicides, environmental manipulation and biological control are reviewed. Use of technologies such as Remote Sensing, Geographical Information System and landscape genetics is stressed for snail surveillance. Control and prevention efforts in the Philippines have consistently focused on mass drug administration which has proved inadequate in elimination of the disease. An integrated approach that includes snail control, environmental sanitation and health education has been proposed. Population movement such as migration for employment and economic opportunities and ecotourism and global climate change resulting in heavy rains and flooding challenge the gains of control and elimination efforts. Concern for possible migration of snails to non-endemic areas is expressed given the various changes both natural and mostly man-made favoring habitat expansion.
BACKGROUND: Climate change is leading to an increased number of natural disasters. Children from low- and middle-income countries are disproportionately affected. The impacts of exposure to multiple natural disasters on the development of children are not well understood. The Philippines had 6.5 million people affected by natural disasters in 2018 and is therefore an ideal country in which to study the cumulative effects of natural disasters on human development. METHODS: We used wave 1 (2016-17) of the Longitudinal Cohort Study on the Filipino Child, a nationally representative cohort study of 4952 10-year-old children, to examine the impact of natural disasters. For caregivers, we examined mental health, family violence, and food insecurity. For children, we examined exposure to violence and stunting. We used random effects models to estimate the associations between natural disasters and children’s development outcomes and caregivers’ outcomes, after adjusting for neighbourhood, demographic, and geographic variables. Disaster exposure was measured using caregiver-reported measures of cumulative exposure and cumulative impact of disasters, average neighbourhood reports and data linked from the International Disaster Database (EM-DAT), an independent measure of community exposure to disaster. FINDINGS: We found that experiencing natural disasters, as measured by neighbourhood reports, was associated with higher levels of family violence in the previous 12 months, parenting stress, children witnessing physical violence, physical abuse of children, stunting in children, and greater food insecurity. Associations with individual self-reported exposure showed was similar. Associations with natural disasters measured using EM-DAT data showed a similar pattern: exposure to greater numbers of natural disasters was associated with higher levels of family violence, physical abuse of children, stunting in children, and food insecurity. Impacts of disasters was associated with higher levels of family violence, depression and food insecurity. INTERPRETATION: This is the first national study to document that cumulative measures of natural disasters had small, but wide-ranging, impacts on children and their caregivers. Further research is needed to identify factors that will protect populations who are at risk of high levels of natural disasters to ensure the optimal development of children. FUNDING: The Philippines Project, The Australian National University.
Health risks from climate change are increasing and becoming a critical global concern. Implementation of health adaptation policies is vital, particularly in settings with high socioeconomic vulnerability and physical exposure to climate-risks, such as the Philippines. We identified from the literature a set of reference principles and categories of barriers to the implementation of national health adaptation policy. These were then used to assess the extent to which these policy principles and barriers are evident in Philippine national health adaptation. This assessment was undertaken based on data and information from policy analysis, key informant interviews, and an expert workshop. The results suggest that the Philippines have made notable progress on health adaptation by establishing a strong policy framework. However, implementation remains challenging and requires continued commitment. The health adaptation policy principles identified in the Philippines are policy congruence, mainstreaming, multi-sectoral approach, multiscale approach, adaptive management, and evidence-based decision-making. The most important implementation barriers are uncertain leadership, appropriateness and longevity of the governance structures within the Department of Health, and data and evidence. The value of considering policy principles alongside implementation barriers is twofold. First, this enables understanding of how implementation barriers relate directly to policy principles. Second, it facilitates identification of future implementation barriers that may arise in relation to current policy principles. Multi-sectoral governance and the integration of evidence in decision-making arose as potential future challenges in the Philippines. These areas may require special consideration in future policy design and planning.
The Philippines suffers frequent typhoons every year hence the country is susceptible to experience disastrous flooding. This extreme event causes various effects in the community specifically infrastructural and social system damages. Flooding also causes numerous health effects that deteriorate the wellbeing of the affected population. Iligan City is known to be an area prone to flooding in the Philippines. This paper examines the state of health of communities affected by flooding occurrences through knowledge and preparedness, health impacts, and emergency response of various state actors during and after flooding incidents. Data were collected through an analysis of different documents, key informant interviews, and focus groups in the cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro. Results show data from various sources and narratives regarding the degree of preparedness before the flood among community members. During the flooding occurrence, different community damages were mentioned. Due to the destructive nature of floods, community members also stated different health impacts whether immediate, short term, or long term. After the flood, different emergency response and relief were provided. However, citizens and community also cited difficulties about the provision of relief and health care. This study can be used for initiatives in reducing risks and vulnerability in floods.
The Philippines is highly susceptible to both geophysical and climate-related disasters. This article explores Filipinos knowledge and perception of climate change and their association with what action Filipinos take to prepare for rapid onset natural hazards such as typhoons. Data for this study were collected from a nationally representative random survey of 5,184 adults conducted between March and April of 2017. Filipinos self-report relatively low levels of knowledge of climate change and cited increased temperatures, shifts in seasons, and heavier rains as the most likely consequences. Levels of disaster preparedness in the Philippines differ widely by region. Although most Filipinos perceive that natural hazards are a risk to them, only a third of Filipinos undertake measures to prepare for disasters. Filipinos who perceive climate-related changes directly impacting their households report taking greater action to prepare for disasters. Filipinos who believe they have been directly impacted by climate-related changes are also more likely to prepare for disasters, take planning actions, and undertake material actions to prepare, such as dwelling improvements. Other factors associated with disaster preparedness include gender, membership in an association, wealth, risk perception, and prior exposure to and losses due to disasters. The findings imply that, while posing different challenges and requiring different responses, adaptation to climate change and disaster preparedness are inherently associated and potentially mutually reinforcing. Policies and programs would arguably benefit from a more unified intervention framework that links climate change adaptation and disaster preparedness.
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Typhoon Haiyan partially destroyed the Ormoc District Hospital in the Philippines. A field hospital was established to replace its outpatient department for 5 weeks. We investigated the reasons for medical consultation in the field hospital. METHODS: We described the consultations by sex, age, week, and diagnosis according to the Surveillance in Post-Extreme Emergencies and Disasters system. We compared the number and proportion of upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) with a control season in 2014. RESULTS: We included 6785 consultations, 55.9% from women. The majority of consultations were communicable diseases (88.2%) followed by noncommunicable (7.1%) and injuries (5.6%). Males suffered more often from injuries than women (66.0% vs 34.0%). Consultations due to injuries decreased from 10.0% in the first to 2.9% in the last week. The most frequent diagnosis over the study period was acute respiratory infections (ARIs) (73.1%), of which 83.0% were children. The number of daily URTIs was higher than in a similar 2014 period. CONCLUSIONS: ARI was the most prevalent diagnosis. We recommend ARI treatments being fully accessible after such a disaster. During the first week, injury prevention should focus on adult men. Studies after natural disasters should include control periods to better understand disease distribution, ultimately improving the prioritization in disasters.
This research examines flood risk and adaption to it, including the possibility of out-migration, in two flood-prone coastal locations in the Philippines through the lens of Protection Motivation Theory. Much of the country is at risk of coastal flooding due to sea-level rise and from severe weather-related events. The data analyzed were obtained in 2016 and 2018 from focus group discussions with local residents, individual interviews with local government officials, and field observations. Residents’ and officials’ reports reveal a number of consistent themes in both places and over time, with some important differences. Both locations were grappling with regular minor to moderate flooding in 2016, as well as with occasional severe flooding. Respondents reported serious economic, health, and safety threats associated with flooding events. Recent infrastructure improvements appear to have reduced routine flood risk in one location, but considerable risk from major storms remains in both places. While some housing has been abandoned because of flood damage, and while some better-off residents have moved away, most are not currently considering retreat as a near-term solution. Instead, most people are adapting in place and attempting to devise strategies to mitigate flood risk in their communities.
Climate Change and malnutrition are two global phenomena that affect millions of population groups. The Philippines is considered one of the most vulnerable countries for extreme natural events and at the same time has a high prevalence of underweight (19.0%) and stunting (28.8%) in 2019 among under five children. The nutritionally vulnerable groups are children, pregnant and lactating women, and elderly. These groups are also greatly affected by climate change-related events then the malnutrition situation is exacerbated. The local nutrition workers are the frontline workers who plan, implement, and monitor nutrition programs. Mainstreaming climate change in the local nutrition planning processes will be facilitated if nutrition workers are knowledgeable. This study aimed to determine the current knowledge, attitudes and practices of nutrition workers and perceptions on how to mainstream climate change in the nutrition sector’s local planning system. A survey was conducted among local nutrition workers. Ninety-five percent of nutrition workers were highly knowledgeable, 86% were with high level of attitudes and 50% were exhibiting moderate level of practices related to climate change. The gaps can be narrowed by capacity building and possibly this can lead to mainstreaming climate change in the local nutrition planning process.
