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Conflict exposure and health: Evidence from the Gaza Strip
Author(s) -
Di Maio Michele,
Leone Sciabolazza Valerio
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
health economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.55
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1099-1050
pISSN - 1057-9230
DOI - 10.1002/hec.4364
Subject(s) - gaza strip , political science , palestine , history , ancient history
We study the impact of conflict exposure on health in the Gaza Strip using individual‐level longitudinal data and geo‐localized information on conflict‐related violent events. Results show that individuals living in localities exposed to more conflict events have a higher probability of suffering from a physical impairment and a chronic disease. Two mechanisms contribute to explain why living in conflict‐affected area increases the incidence of physical impairment: conflict increases the difficulty to reach health facilities and it decreases individual income. The conflict‐induced increase in the probability of having high blood pressure is instead consistent with the development of Post‐Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) due to the exposure to conflict‐related violent events.