Health Vulnerability of Households in Flooded Communities and Their Adaptation Measures

Abstract

Floods adversely affect community well-being and health. This study aims to assess the present health vulnerability of households to floods in a rural flood-prone area of northeastern Thailand, as well as their adaptation measures. The participants were the representatives of 312 randomly selected households, and data were collected using an interview questionnaire. Health vulnerability was assessed in terms of flood exposure, flood sensitivity, and flood adaptive capacity. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics. The results showed that 47.1% of the households had a low level of health vulnerability to flooding, while in 21.2% the level was high. Households had been adapting themselves to cope with the health impacts from flood. Their coping practices included special arrangements for the protection of property, food management, the provision of water supply and waste disposal, the elimination of sources of vector-borne diseases, family health care, the protection of family livelihood, and communication and transportation.