Health of humanitarian aid workers

Research into the health and well-being of international humanitarian aid workers

International emergency humanitarian aid workers work under stressful and challenging conditions. They risk their personal well-being for the well-being of others. What consequences does this have for their own health? Are they able to stay healthy?

ARQ researchers examined how healthy international humanitarian aid workers (iHAWS) at Médecins Sans Frontières Operational Centre Amsterdam (MSF OCA) are. How did their deployment impact their health? And how do iHAWS stay healthy despite working under extremely stressful conditions? One of the unique elements of this study was the focus on health rather than on illness. Health 'belongs to all of us', after all, and maintaining good health is a driver for organisational change.

Policies to reduce deployment-related stress

For the study, 600 iHAWS were monitored before and after their deployment. The findings are currently being published in a series of scientific papers. The findings of this study have contributed to policies aimed at reducing deployment-related stress and improving the health of iHAWS.