September 2015 - Feb 2017
Following the ISIS onslaught in northern Iraq during the summer of 2014, nearly one million Yazidi, Christian and Muslim civilians were displaced into the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. This project aims to estimate death rates and health status of internally displaced persons (IDPs), using a retrospective household survey. We intend to interview a representative sample of 1,500 displaced households residing in IDP camps and collective buildings. The sample will be split among camps and collective buildings taking into account their population size and ethnic/religious composition. Within each camp or collective building, a predetermined number of households will be selected using a systematic random sampling procedure.
The purpose of the survey will be explained to the head of the household and oral consent will be asked before starting the interview. The city or town of origin and the date of arrival in Kurdistan as well as the age and sex of all household members will be recorded. Information will be gathered about the age, sex, date and cause of deaths in the household that occurred from 1 January 2013 to the date of the interview, allowing for comparison over a period spanning before, during and after displacement. Health status of surviving children and adults, and care-seeking behaviours will also be enquired. In accordance with international ethical guidelines, no name or unique identifier will be recorded to safeguard confidentiality. Ethical clearance will be sought through the research ethics committees at the LSE and Hawler Medical University prior to commencing fieldwork.
The project findings will have important documentation functions for the international community and serve as inputs for the design of humanitarian relief strategies addressing the urgent health needs of IDPs in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Research Team
Tim Dyson is Professor of Population Studies in the Department of International Development at LSE. He has worked at LSE since 1980 and has held visiting positions at the Australian National University, the International Institute of Population Science in Mumbai, and the American University of Beirut. In 1994-96 he was President of the British Society for Population Studies and in 2001 he was elected as a Fellow of the British Academy
Nazar P. Shabila is Lecturer/Researcher of Public Health in the College of Medicine at Hawler Medical University, Erbil, Iraq. His current research work is mainly related to health services, women’s health, and conflict and health. Before pursuing academic career, he established extensive experience in the humanitarian relief field through working with the ICRC and UNOPS-IDPs Project in assessing and addressing the needs of internally displaced people in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Valeria Cetorelli is Research Officer at the LSE Middle East Centre. Her research revolves around the political and social determinants of population health. She has expertise in survey methodology and quantitative data analysis. Her PhD thesis, entitled 'Demographic and Health Effects of the 2003-2011 War in Iraq', examined some of the overlooked consequences of the Iraq War on early marriage, fertility, and newborn health using data from multiple retrospective household surveys.
Samim Al-Dabbagh is Professor of Community Medicine and Head of Department of Community and Family Medicine in the College of Medicine at University of Duhok, Iraq since 2006. Previously, he worked as Professor of Community Medicine in the College of Medicine of Mosul University, Iraq. His current research revolves around epidemiology of communicable and non-communicable diseases, health services research and medical education in Iraq.