Cohort profile: design and respondent characteristics for the longitudinal Survey of Trauma, Resilience and Opportunity Among Neighbourhoods in the Gulf (STRONG) cohort.

PURPOSE: The Survey of Trauma, Resilience and Opportunity among Neighbourhoods in the Gulf (STRONG) is a longitudinal study assessing disaster exposures and outcomes of adults living along the US Gulf Coast. Initially conceived to examine effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, five follow-up surveys have explored impacts of hurricanes and COVID-19.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 2520 adults completed the baseline survey in 2016. Compared with the region, survey respondents were older, more likely to be female and less likely to be Hispanic.

FINDINGS TO DATE: As a longitudinal disaster cohort, STRONG provides a unique opportunity to examine disaster impacts. Research using STRONG data has explored how a wide range of disaster exposures are associated with behavioural health. Consistent with other disaster research, analyses with STRONG data suggest that resource loss is linked with worse behavioural health.