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Review
. 2024 Jun;11(2):255-265.
doi: 10.1007/s40572-024-00440-z. Epub 2024 Apr 3.

Existing Challenges and Opportunities for Advancing Drought and Health Research

Jesse D Berman  1 , Azar M Abadi  2 , Jesse E Bell  3   4   5
Affiliations
Review

Existing Challenges and Opportunities for Advancing Drought and Health Research

Jesse D Berman et al. Curr Environ Health Rep. 2024 Jun.

Abstract

Purpose of review: Drought is one of the most far-reaching natural disasters, yet drought and health research is sparse. This may be attributed to the challenge of quantifying drought exposure, something complicated by multiple drought indices without any designed for health research. The purpose of this general review is to evaluate current drought and health literature and highlight challenges or scientific considerations when performing drought exposure and health assessments.

Recent findings: The literature revealed a small, but growing, number of drought and health studies primarily emphasizing Australian, western European, and US populations. The selection of drought indices and definitions of drought are inconsistent. Rural and agricultural populations have been identified as vulnerable cohorts, particularly for mental health outcomes. Using relevant examples, we discuss the importance of characterizing drought and explore why health outcomes, populations of interest, and compound environmental hazards are crucial considerations for drought and health assessments. As climate and health research is prioritized, we propose guidance for investigators performing drought-focused analyses.

Keywords: Climate change; Drought; Exposure assessment; Natural disasters; Public health.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no actual or competing financial interests

Figures

Fig 1.
Fig 1.
Guiding framework of factors to consider when performing drought and health research. The left side is a general framework for drought and health investigations, while the right side outlines the process using suicide as a case study.
Fig 2.
Fig 2.
U.S. Drought Monitor conditions for Jasper County, Iowa from 2010 through 2016. The dashed line highlights months with moderate drought conditions during this period.
Fig 3.
Fig 3.
Drought conditions measured with the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) in Wichita, Kansas using timescales of 1-, 3-, and 12-months. Positive SPEI indicates wetter than normal conditions (blue) and negative SPEI indicates dryer than normal conditions (red).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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