Evaluation of post earthquake trauma levels and nutritional status in earthquake affected children

This study was conducted between January – February 2025 with 309 earthquake-affected children (138 girls, 171 boys) aged 9–14 years, attending a private school in the Onikişubat district of Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye. The study aimed to evaluate the trauma levels and nutritional status of these children. The mean age of the participants was 11.35 ± 1.28 years. To assess trauma levels, the Child Post-Traumatic Stress Reaction Index (CPTS-RI) was utilized. The average CPTS-RI scores were found to be 31.91±16.46 in girls, 26.84±14.56 in boys, and 29.11±15.61 overall. A statistically significant difference was observed between genders (p<0.05), with girls exhibiting higher total trauma scores than boys. Regarding trauma severity, 12.6% of the children showed no signs of PTSD; 29.4% had mild, 33.3% moderate, 20.7% severe, and 3.9% very severe levels. No statistically significant gender difference was observed in trauma severity (p>0.05). Statistically significant associations were found between changes in appetite and eating habits following the earthquake and the post-traumatic stress responses. Children who experienced increased or decreased appetite had significantly higher trauma scores across the re-experiencing, avoidance/numbing, and increased arousal subscales compared to those whose appetite remained unchanged (p<0.05). Similarly, children who reported changes in eating habits (eating more or less) had significantly higher CPTS-RI total and subscale scores (p<0.05). Among girls, a weak but statistically significant negative correlation was found between CPTS-RI scores and omega-3 fatty acid intake (r = –0.199, p = 0.019). In boys, no significant relationship was found between total CPTS-RI scores and energy or other macronutrient intakes. However, a weak but statistically significant positive correlation was observed between BMI and trauma scores in boys (r = 0.191, p = 0.012), while no significant association was found in girls. These findings suggest that traumatic experiences such as earthquakes may have significant effects on both the psychological and physical health indicators of children, including their eating behaviors and body mass index.