Older and middle-aged adults in India who have been injured report significantly more health impacts from disasters than those without injuries, according to a large cross-sectional analysis of national survey data published in BMC Public Health.
The study drew on Wave 1 of the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI), collected in 2017-18, and included 66,200 individuals aged 45 years and above. Researchers examined whether a person’s injury status was associated with self-reported disaster-related health impacts, defined as severe health effects resulting from natural or human-made disasters during the preceding five years.
Overall, 3.3 percent of respondents reported disaster-related health impacts. The prevalence varied sharply by injury status: 2.9 percent among respondents with no injury, 5.1 percent among those with fall-related injuries, and 10.2 percent among those reporting other injuries.
After adjusting for socio-demographic, socioeconomic, behavioural, and health-related characteristics, the associations persisted. Respondents with fall-related injuries had significantly higher odds of reporting disaster-related health impacts than those without injuries, with an adjusted odds ratio of 1.48 (95 percent confidence interval: 1.29 to 1.69). Those reporting other injuries had more than three times higher odds, with an adjusted odds ratio of 3.08 (95 percent confidence interval: 2.64 to 3.59).
The analysis used weighted descriptive statistics and Rao-Scott chi-square tests to describe sample characteristics and examine bivariate associations, and binary logistic regression models to estimate adjusted odds ratios and confidence intervals. Injury status was categorised as no injury, fall-related injury, and other injuries.
Beyond injury status, several other factors were significantly associated with reporting disaster-related health impacts. These included rural residence, lower educational attainment, poor self-rated health, and residence in the central, eastern, north-eastern, and western regions of India.
The authors note that the cross-sectional design does not permit conclusions about temporal or causal relationships between injury and disaster-related health impacts. The outcome measure was self-reported, capturing respondents’ own accounts of severe health effects from disasters in the previous five years rather than clinically verified outcomes.
The researchers frame the findings as identifying adults with injuries as a population that reports greater disaster-related health impacts, and argue that they support the need for age-inclusive disaster preparedness, injury prevention, and resilient public health systems to address the needs of vulnerable older populations in India, where population ageing and disaster risks are increasing simultaneously.
Subject of Research: The association between injury status and self-reported disaster-related health impacts among middle-aged and older adults in India
Article Title: Exploring the Association of Injury and Disaster among Older Adults in India: Insight from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI), 2017-18
Article References: Pal, A. K. (2026). Exploring the Association of Injury and Disaster among Older Adults in India: Insight from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI), 2017-18. BMC Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-026-29770-3
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-026-29770-3
Keywords: India, LASI, older adults, injury, disasters, public health, cross-sectional study, fall-related injury, disaster preparedness, health impacts, Exploring, Association
News Source: Ophelia Keating. (October 29, 2026). Injuries Linked to Higher Reported Disaster Health Impacts Among Older Indians. Scienmag.
