Climate, Birth Weight, and Agricultural Livelihoods in Kenya and Mali

Maryia Bakhtsiyarava; Kathryn Grace; Raphael J. Nawrotzki

doi:10.2105/AJPH.2017.304128

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Climate, Birth Weight, and Agricultural Livelihoods in Kenya and Mali

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Climate, Birth Weight, and Agricultural Livelihoods in Kenya and Mali

Maryia Bakhtsiyarava, Kathryn Grace and Raphael J. Nawrotzki

American journal of public health (1971), v 108(S2), pp S144-S150

01 Apr 2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2017.304128

PMID: 29072943

Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel

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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5922197View

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Abstract

Life Sciences & Biomedicine

Public, Environmental & Occupational Health

Science & Technology

Objectives. To examine an association between climate variability and birth weight in Mali and Kenya in relation to the local agricultural specialization. Methods. We combined health and sociodemographic data from the Demographic Health Surveys for Kenya (2008 and 2014) and Mali (2006 and 2012) with detailed data on precipitation, temperature, and vegetation. We analyzed the association between climate variability and birth weight by using multilevel regression models for the most common agricultural specializations: food cropping, cash cropping, and pastoralism. Results. There are differences in sensitivity to climate among different agricultural communities. An additional 100 millimeters of rainfall during the 12-month period before birth was associated with a 47-gram (P=.001) and 89-gram (P=.10) increase in birth weight for food croppers in Kenya and Mali, respectively. Every additional hot month in food-cropping communities in Kenya was associated with a 71-gram decrease in birth weight (P=.030), likely because of food croppers' limited use of modern agricultural techniques. Overall, cash croppers are least sensitive to climate variability in both countries. Conclusions. Effective climate change adaptation strategies are essential for protecting and improving health outcomes and should be tailored to local households' livelihood strategies.

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Details

Title: Climate, Birth Weight, and Agricultural Livelihoods in Kenya and Mali
Creators: Maryia Bakhtsiyarava - University of Minnesota
Kathryn Grace - University of Minnesota
Raphael J. Nawrotzki - University of Minnesota
Publication Details: American journal of public health (1971), v 108(S2), pp S144-S150
Publisher: Amer Public Health Assoc Inc
Number of pages: 7
Grant note: ACI-0940818 / National Science Foundation (NSF) P2CHD041023 / EUNICE KENNEDY SHRIVER NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA; NIH Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD) Minnesota Population Center Research Collaboration Award R24 HD041023 / Minnesota Population Center through Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development
Resource Type: Journal article
Language: English
Academic Unit: Urban Health Collaborative
Web of Science ID: WOS:000440270700028
Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85065146623
Other Identifier: 991021966871704721