A difference-in difference analysis of the South Carolina 2015 extreme floods and the association with maternal health

Abstract

Research documenting the public health impacts of natural disasters often focuses on adults and children. Little research has examined the influence of extreme events, like floods, on maternal health, and less has examined the effect of disasters on maternal indicators like severe maternal morbidity (SMM) or unexpected outcomes of labor and delivery. The aim of this study is to identify the impacts of the 2015 flood events on maternal health outcomes in South Carolina, USA. We employ a quasi-experimental design using a difference-in-difference analysis with log-binomial regressions to evaluate outcomes for impacted and control locations during the disaster event. Unlike previous studies, we extended our difference-in-difference analysis to include a trimester of exposure to assess the timing of flood exposure. We did not find evidence of statistically significant main effects on maternal health from the 2015 flood events related to preterm birth, gestational diabetes, mental disorders of pregnancy, depression, and generalized anxiety. However, we did find a statistically significant increase in SMM and low birth weight during the flood event for women in select trimester periods who were directly exposed. Our work provides new evidence on the effects of extreme flood events, like the 2015 floods, which can impact maternal health during specific exposure periods of pregnancy. Additional research is needed across other extreme weather events, as the unique context of the 2015 floods limits the generalizability of our findings.