Factors Associated With Poor Health Outcomes Among Vietnamese Americans After Hurricane Harvey, Houston, Texas, 2018-2019

Abstract

Objective: Immigrants typically experience poor health outcomes after disasters but are often excluded in disaster studies. We assessed physical and mental health outcomes among Houston-area Vietnamese American residents after Hurricane Harvey and hurricane-related characteristics associated with poor health outcomes.

Methods: We conducted in-person structured surveys among 120 Vietnamese Americans from November 2018 through February 2019. We used the physical and mental component scores of the 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey to assess health outcomes. We used descriptive statistics for health outcomes and hurricane-related effects and examined the associations between hurricane-related characteristics and health outcomes.

Results: Overall mean (95% CI) physical and mental component scores were 39.8 (29.7-49.9) and 32.6 (27.6-37.6), respectively. The odds of poor physical health poststorm were significantly higher among participants reporting ≥5 versus <5 depressive symptoms (odds ratio [OR] = 3.04; 95% CI, 1.11-8.29; P = .03) and significantly lower among participants with versus without health insurance (OR = 0.25; 95% CI, 0.09-0.71; P = .01). The odds of experiencing poor mental health more than a year after the hurricane were significantly higher among those sustaining versus not sustaining a serious injury/illness because of the hurricane (OR = 3.34; 95% CI, 1.12-9.94; P = .03) and among those who were married/partnered versus not married/partnered (OR = 4.16; 95% CI, 1.32-13.07; P = .02). Receiving versus not receiving free health care services after the hurricane and having high versus low levels of acculturation protected against poor mental health (P < .05 for both).

Conclusions: Our findings highlight the inequalities of postdisaster health outcomes in this immigrant population and emphasize the need for improved disaster recovery programs that account for these factors.

Keywords: Hurricane Harvey; Vietnamese American; disaster; health disparities; immigrants.