Eventos hidrológicos extremos e saúde infantil no Brasil: evidências dos sistemas ambulatorial e hospitalar

Abstract

This study investigates the causal impact of extreme hydrological events (flash floods, waterlogging, and floods) on child health in Brazil, focusing on children aged 0 to 2 years and infectious gastrointestinal diseases. The research contributes by using underexplored outpatient data and models suited to the characteristics of disaster events, covering the entire Brazilian territory. Data from the Digital Atlas of Disasters, the Outpatient Information System (SIA), and the Hospital Information System (SIH) are used for 731 municipalities between 2012 and 2024. The empirical strategy employs a difference-in-differences model with staggered and non-absorbing treatment (Chaisemartin e D’Haultefœuille (2024)). The results indicate no significant effects on outpatient visits, but show an increase in hospital admissions in the first and second quarters after the events. A sex-disaggregated analysis reveals a stronger impact among girls. The findings suggest that hydrological disasters amplify preexisting vulnerabilities and highlight the need to strengthen Primary Health Care.