Seismic, Structural, and Individual Factors Associated with Earthquake Related Injury

Overview

Journal Inj Prev

Specialties Emergency Medicine
Pediatrics
Public Health

Date 2003 Mar 19

PMID 12642562

Citations 17

Authors

C Peek-Asa

M Ramirez

H SELIGSON

K Shoaf

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Earthquakes cause thousands of deaths worldwide every year, and systematic study of the causes of these deaths can lead to their prevention. Few studies have examined how multiple types of risk factors are related to physical injury during an earthquake.

Methods: A population based case-control study was conducted to examine how individual characteristics, building characteristics, and seismic features of the 1994 Northridge, California, earthquake contributed to physical injury. Cases included fatal and hospital-admitted injuries caused by the earthquake. Controls were drawn from a population based phone survey of county residents. Cases were individually matched to two sets of controls: one matched by age and gender and one matched by location at the time of the earthquake.

Results: Individuals over age 65 had 2.9 times the risk of injury as younger people (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2 to 7.4) and women had a 2.4 times greater risk than men (95% CI 1.2 to 5.1). Location in multiple unit residential and commercial structures each led to increased injury risk compared with single unit residential structures, but the exact estimate varied depending on the control group used. With every increase in ground motion of 10%g, injury risk increased 2.2 times (95% CI 1.6 to 3.3).

Conclusions: Controlling for other factors, it was found that individual, building, and seismic characteristics were independently predictive of increased injury risk. Prevention and preparedness efforts should focus on each of these as potential points of intervention.

Citing Articles

Impact of the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake on Nutritional Status in Residents of an Integrated Medical and Long-Term Care Facility: A Descriptive Study.

Kokura Y Nutrients. 2025; 17(3).

PMID: 39940364 PMC: 11820174. DOI: 10.3390/nu17030506.

The initial response of a local hospital in the earthquake zone during the February 6, 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes: Injuries and challenges.

Koroglu M, Karakaplan M, Ergen E, Ertem K, Coban I, Kose H Acta Orthop Traumatol Turc. 2024; 57(6):315-321.

PMID: 38454212 PMC: 10837596. DOI: 10.5152/j.aott.2023.23138.

An overview of the orthopedic patient profile in the first five days following February 6th, 2023 Kahramanmaras earthquake: A single-center experience in the earthquake zone.

Akkaya M, Oktem U, Tolunay T, Ocak M, Yolacan D, Gurler A Jt Dis Relat Surg. 2023; 34(2):503-508.

PMID: 37462659 PMC: 10367150. DOI: 10.52312/jdrs.2023.1113.

Emergency Medical Team Response during the Hokkaido Eastern Iburi Earthquake 2018: J-SPEED Data Analysis.

Yumiya Y, Chimed-Ochir O, Kayano R, Hitomi Y, Akahoshi K, Kondo H Prehosp Disaster Med. 2023; 38(3):332-337.

PMID: 37073687 PMC: 10267720. DOI: 10.1017/S1049023X23000432.

The Impact of Earthquakes on Public Health: A Narrative Review of Infectious Diseases in the Post-Disaster Period Aiming to Disaster Risk Reduction.

Mavrouli M, Mavroulis S, Lekkas E, Tsakris A Microorganisms. 2023; 11(2).

PMID: 36838384 PMC: 9968131. DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11020419.

References

Peek-Asa C, Ramirez M, Shoaf K, SELIGSON H, Kraus J . GIS mapping of earthquake-related deaths and hospital admissions from the 1994 Northridge, California, Earthquake. Ann Epidemiol. 2000; 10(1):5-13. DOI: 10.1016/s1047-2797(99)00058-7. View

Glass R, Urrutia J, Sibony S, Smith H, Garcia B, Rizzo L . Earthquake injuries related to housing in a guatemalan village. Science. 1977; 197(4304):638-43. DOI: 10.1126/science.197.4304.638. View

Wyss M, Wiemer S . Change in the probability for earthquakes in Southern California due to the Landers magnitude 7.3 earthquake. Science. 2000; 290(5495):1334-8. DOI: 10.1126/science.290.5495.1334. View

Shoaf K, Sareen H, Nguyen L, Bourque L . Injuries as a result of California earthquakes in the past decade. Disasters. 1998; 22(3):218-35. DOI: 10.1111/1467-7717.00088. View

Armenian H, Noji E, Oganesian A . A case-control study of injuries arising from the earthquake in Armenia, 1988. Bull World Health Organ. 1992; 70(2):251-7. PMC: 2393295. View

De Bruycker M, Greco D, Lechat M, Annino I, De Ruggiero N, Triassi M . The 1980 earthquake in Southern Italy--morbidity and mortality. Int J Epidemiol. 1985; 14(1):113-7. DOI: 10.1093/ije/14.1.113. View

de Ville de Goyet C, del Cid E, Romero A, Jeannee E, Lechat M . Earthquake in Guatemala: epidemiologic evaluation of the relief effort. Bull Pan Am Health Organ. 1976; 10(2):95-109. View

Tanaka H, Oda J, Iwai A, Kuwagata Y, Matsuoka T, Takaoka M . Morbidity and mortality of hospitalized patients after the 1995 Hanshin-Awaji earthquake. Am J Emerg Med. 1999; 17(2):186-91. DOI: 10.1016/s0735-6757(99)90059-1. View

Roces M, White M, Dayrit M, Durkin M . Risk factors for injuries due to the 1990 earthquake in Luzon, Philippines. Bull World Health Organ. 1992; 70(4):509-14. PMC: 2393385. View

10.

Peek-Asa C, Kraus J, Bourque L, Vimalachandra D, Yu J, Abrams J . Fatal and hospitalized injuries resulting from the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Int J Epidemiol. 1998; 27(3):459-65. DOI: 10.1093/ije/27.3.459. View

11.

Armenian H, Melkonian A, Noji E, Hovanesian A . Deaths and injuries due to the earthquake in Armenia: a cohort approach. Int J Epidemiol. 1997; 26(4):806-13. DOI: 10.1093/ije/26.4.806. View

12.

Alexander D . The health effects of earthquakes in the mid-1990s. Disasters. 1996; 20(3):231-47. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-7717.1996.tb01036.x. View

13.

Osaki Y, Minowa M . Factors associated with earthquake deaths in the great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake, 1995. Am J Epidemiol. 2001; 153(2):153-6. DOI: 10.1093/aje/153.2.153. View