Honors Theses
Date of Award
Spring 5-2-2025
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Public Health
First Advisor
Ruaa Aljuboori
Second Advisor
Ashley White Jones
Third Advisor
Albert Nylander
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
Background. The effects of war and conflict on a population are direct and indirect in nature. One of the most devastating consequences is the destruction of healthcare infrastructure, which severely disrupts access to essential services and impedes long-term socioeconomic development. Among those most affected are newborns, as the neonatal period represents the most vulnerable stage of a child’s life and serves as a sensitive indicator of a society’s overall health and socioeconomic conditions. Given the persistent instability in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR), this study aimed to explore how conflict and human development are associated with neonatal health outcomes across the region.
Methods. This study utilized secondary data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s Global Burden of Disease database, United Nation’s Human Development Index (HDI), and Vision of Humanity’s Global Peace Index (GPI). Neonatal mortality and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were used as measures for neonatal health, HDI values a measure for human development, and GPI scores a measure for global conflict. Statistical analyses were conducted to explore the relationships between neonatal mortality rates (NMR) and DALY rates, HDI values, and GPI scores in 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2021.
Results. The study found a negative, significant relationship between HDI values and neonatal health outcomes across the EMR. Further, there was a positive, significant relationship between GPI scores and neonatal health outcomes. Although NMRs and DALY rates have declined across the EMR over the four time periods, the pace of this decline has varied between countries.
Conclusion. This study suggests that there is a strong and significant relationship between conflict, development, and neonatal health outcomes in the EMR in 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2021. Further, there was great overlap between countries experiencing the lowest levels of development and the highest levels of conflict and those with the poorest neonatal health outcomes. This underscores the need for urgent policy reform and peace-making processes to improve overall health outcomes in the region and protect the most vulnerable of populations: neonates.
Recommended Citation
Al-Sherri, Zynub A., "Conflict, Human Development, and Neonatal Health: A Regional Analysis of the Eastern Mediterranean" (2025). Honors Theses. 3284.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/3284