Differences in county-level cardiovascular disease mortality rates due to damage caused by hurricane Matthew and the moderating effect of social capital: a natural experiment

• Authors: Zachary H McCann, Emory University; Magdalena Szaflarski, University of Alabama at Birmingham
• Journal Title: BMC PUBLIC HEALTH
• Volume: Volume 23, Number 60
• Publisher: BioMed Central | 2023-01-09
• Type of Work: Article | Final Publisher PDF
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14919-7
• Subjects: Sociology, General; Environmental Sciences
• Keywords: Natural Hazard; Climate change; Cardiovascular disease; Social capital; Hurricane; Mortality; Regression adjustment; Population health

Abstract

As the climate continues to warm, hurricanes will continue to increase in both severity and frequency. Hurricane damage is associated with cardiovascular events, but social capital may moderate this relationship. Social capital is a multidimensional concept with a rich theoretical tradition. Simply put, social capital refers to the social relationships and structures that provide individuals with material, financial, and emotional resources throughout their lives. Previous research has found an association between high levels of social capital and lower rates of cardiovascular (CVD) mortality. In post-disaster settings, social capital may protect against CVD mortality by improving access to life-saving resources. We examined the association between county-level hurricane damage and CVD mortality rates after Hurricane Matthew, and the moderating effect of several aspects of social capital and hurricane damage on this relationship. We hypothesized that (1) higher (vs. lower) levels of hurricane damage would be associated with increased CVD mortality rates and (2) in highly damaged counties, higher (vs. lower) levels of social capital would be associated with lower CVD mortality.