Cyclone baby study to help pregnant women during disasters

ANU Researchers are studying how natural disasters affect pregnant women to help better understand this vulnerable group and the potential impact of future disasters. The study, being conducted by PhD scholar, Cynthia Parayiwa and Associate Professor Alison Behie, will focus on pregnant women living in Queensland who were exposed to a severe cyclone event over the past 10 years. The team are also examining the impact of fire and flood on pregnancies. "Studying the pregnancies of women who experienced cyclones in this decade, along with our other research from the Black Saturday and Canberra bushfires and Queensland floods, will give us the most comprehensive picture of how natural disasters impact pregnancies in Australia," Dr Behie said. "With the bushfires, smoke, cyclones and floods we've had just this summer, Australia needs to be better prepared for more frequent and intense weather events. "With the data and personal experiences of vulnerable groups we'll be better able to say this is how we can best protect them," Dr Behie said. Previous work by the pair in 2018 found that in areas affected by Cyclone Yasi more premature births were recorded.