Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Mayo Mail Code #807, 420 Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35233, USA.
Curr Environ Health Rep. 2024 Jun;11(2):255-265. doi: 10.1007/s40572-024-00440-z. Epub 2024 Apr 3.
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.
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.
综述目的：干旱是影响范围最广的自然灾害之一，但有关干旱与健康的研究却很少。这可能是因为量化干旱暴露的难度很大，而且目前有多种干旱指数，没有一种是专为健康研究设计的，这使得情况更加复杂。本综述的目的是评估当前的干旱与健康文献，并强调在进行干旱暴露与健康评估时的挑战或科学考虑因素。
最新发现：文献显示，有关干旱与健康的研究数量较少，但呈增长趋势，主要集中在澳大利亚、西欧和美国。对干旱指数的选择和干旱的定义并不一致。农村和农业人口已被确定为弱势群体，尤其是在心理健康方面。我们使用相关示例讨论了描述干旱的重要性，并探讨了为什么健康结果、相关人群和复合环境危害是干旱与健康评估的关键考虑因素。随着气候与健康研究的优先级提高，我们为从事干旱相关分析的研究人员提出了指导建议。
