Assessing public health risk factors for internally displaced households in North Darfur, Sudan
Disaster Prevention and Management
ISSN: 0965-3562
Article publication date: 3 April 2020
Issue publication date: 12 March 2021
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess the public health risk factors of internally displaced households and suggest appropriate measures and strategies for health risk reduction in the context of IDPs.
Design/methodology/approach
The composite Index (CI) method was used to compare the public health risk factors at the household level in three IDP camps. A set of 22 indicators were studied in 326 households. Households were selected by using a two-stage cluster sampling technique.
Findings
The findings indicate that the Shangil Tobaya camp is at the highest risk for communicable diseases (63.6%) followed by Zamzam (52.4%) and Abu Shouk (42.7%) at the household level. Eight indicators appeared to have made differential impacts between Abu Shouk and Shangil Tobaya, these include: level of education, walking time to health facilities, water source, latrines type, safe disposal of child feces, frequency of visit by pregnant women to antenatal care services, place of delivery and women delivering their children with the help of skilled birth attendants.
Research limitations/implications
Since the selection criteria of the camps were predefined; there are variations in the number of samples between the camps. Therefore, the generalizability may be compromised.
Social implications
Increased access to healthcare services particularly reproductive health services to the most vulnerable groups (women). Community involvement in services management to promote ownership.
Originality/value
The methods used in this study is original and flexible and can be replicated for other emergency areas and risks.
Keywords
Citation
Mahmoud, E.M., Pal, I. and Ahmad, M.M. (2021), "Assessing public health risk factors for internally displaced households in North Darfur, Sudan", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 30 No. 2, pp. 225-239. https://doi.org/10.1108/DPM-04-2019-0105
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited