Rosemary Nzunza
Biographic Data
| ID | 80892 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Rosemary Nzunza |
| GIVEN NAMES | Rosemary |
| FAMILY NAME | Nzunza |
| SIGNATURE | NZUNZA R |
| AFFILIATIONS | Center for Virus Research Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) Nairobi Kenya |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-0900-3833 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 12 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 7 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 12 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2020 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Birth Weight in the Daasanach Community of Northern Kenya and the Effect of Multiparity
Historic drought in northern Kenya shifts diet and mobility away from traditional pastoralism as resource security and nutrition falter
Increased Vulnerability to Dehydration Due to Heat Stress and Drought Across Reproductive States for Pastoralist Women in Northern Kenya
Chronic Stress and Severe Water Insecurity During the Historic 2022 Drought in Northern Kenya Were Associated With Inflammation Among Daasanach Seminomadic Pastoralists
OBJECTIVE: Extreme climatic events, like droughts, are increasing in frequency and severity. Droughts disrupt community livelihoods and resources with serious implications for human biology. This study investigated how chronic stress, measured by fingernail cortisol concentration (FCC), and water insecurity status were predictive of C-reactive protein (CRP), a biomarker of inflammation, during a historic drought among Daasanach seminomadic pastor…
Physical Activity and Pregnancy Norms Among Daasanach Semi‐Nomadic Pastoralist Women in Northern Kenya
OBJECTIVES: In subsistence populations, high physical activity is typically maintained throughout pregnancy. Market integration shifts activity patterns to resemble industrialized populations, with more time allocated to sedentary behavior. Daasanach semi-nomadic pastoralists living in northern Kenya face lifestyle heterogeneity due to the emergence of a market center. We investigate how Daasanach women manage the energetic demands of pregnancy w…
Ambient temperature and wet bulb globe temperature outperform heat index in predicting hydration status and heat perception in a semi-arid environment
In a hot, semi-arid climate, ambient temperature and WBGT accurately predict human water needs and heat stress, with children more vulnerable to dehydration. To mitigate consequences of extreme heat, local bioculturally-appropriate hydration (e.g. tea) and cooling (e.g. shade) strategies should be encouraged
Total daily energy expenditure and elevated water turnover in a small-scale semi-nomadic pastoralist society from Northern Kenya
The similar mass-adjusted TEE of Daasanach and industrialised populations supports the hypothesis that habitual TEE is constrained, with physically demanding lifestyles necessitating trade-offs in energy allocation. Elevated WT in the absence of elevated TEE likely reflects a demanding active lifestyle in a hot, arid climate
Mobility ideation due to water problems during historic 2022 drought associated with livestock wealth, water and food insecurity, and fingernail cortisol concentration in northern Kenya
Early childhood growth in Daasanach pastoralists of Northern Kenya: Distinct patterns of faltering in linear growth and weight gain
OBJECTIVES: Investigations of early childhood growth among small-scale populations are essential for understanding human life history variation and enhancing the ability to serve such communities through global public health initiatives. This study characterizes early childhood growth trajectories and identifies differences in growth patterns relative to international references among Daasanach semi-nomadic pastoralist children living in a hot, a…
The co-occurrence of water insecurity and food insecurity among Daasanach pastoralists in northern Kenya
Objective: Water plays a critical role in the production of food and preparation of nutritious meals, yet few studies have examined the relationship between water and food insecurity. The primary objective of this study, therefore, was to examine how experiences of household water insecurity (HWI) relate to experiences of household food insecurity (HFI) among a pastoralist population living in an arid, water-stressed region of northern Kenya. Des…
Cross‐cultural variation in thirst perception in hot‐humid and hot‐arid environments: Evidence from two small‐scale populations
Our findings suggest hydration status is not a reliable predictor of thirst perceptions in extreme-hot environments with ad libitum drinking. Rather, our findings, which require additional confirmation, point to the importance of water availability during gestation in affecting thirst sensitivity to heat and water feedback mechanisms, particularly in arid environments. Thirst regulation will be increasingly important to understand given climate c…
Hydration in relation to water insecurity, heat index, and lactation status in two small‐scale populations in hot‐humid and hot‐arid environments
These results suggest that heat stress and reproductive status may have a greater impact on hydration status than water insecurity across diverse ecological contexts
Mobility ideation due to water problems during historic 2022 drought associated with livestock wealth, water and food insecurity, and fingernail cortisol concentration in northern Kenya
Ambient temperature and wet bulb globe temperature outperform heat index in predicting hydration status and heat perception in a semi-arid environment
In a hot, semi-arid climate, ambient temperature and WBGT accurately predict human water needs and heat stress, with children more vulnerable to dehydration. To mitigate consequences of extreme heat, local bioculturally-appropriate hydration (e.g. tea) and cooling (e.g. shade) strategies should be encouraged
Hydration in relation to water insecurity, heat index, and lactation status in two small‐scale populations in hot‐humid and hot‐arid environments
These results suggest that heat stress and reproductive status may have a greater impact on hydration status than water insecurity across diverse ecological contexts
Cross‐cultural variation in thirst perception in hot‐humid and hot‐arid environments: Evidence from two small‐scale populations
Our findings suggest hydration status is not a reliable predictor of thirst perceptions in extreme-hot environments with ad libitum drinking. Rather, our findings, which require additional confirmation, point to the importance of water availability during gestation in affecting thirst sensitivity to heat and water feedback mechanisms, particularly in arid environments. Thirst regulation will be increasingly important to understand given climate c…
Early childhood growth in Daasanach pastoralists of Northern Kenya: Distinct patterns of faltering in linear growth and weight gain
OBJECTIVES: Investigations of early childhood growth among small-scale populations are essential for understanding human life history variation and enhancing the ability to serve such communities through global public health initiatives. This study characterizes early childhood growth trajectories and identifies differences in growth patterns relative to international references among Daasanach semi-nomadic pastoralist children living in a hot, a…
The co-occurrence of water insecurity and food insecurity among Daasanach pastoralists in northern Kenya
Objective: Water plays a critical role in the production of food and preparation of nutritious meals, yet few studies have examined the relationship between water and food insecurity. The primary objective of this study, therefore, was to examine how experiences of household water insecurity (HWI) relate to experiences of household food insecurity (HFI) among a pastoralist population living in an arid, water-stressed region of northern Kenya. Des…
Total daily energy expenditure and elevated water turnover in a small-scale semi-nomadic pastoralist society from Northern Kenya
The similar mass-adjusted TEE of Daasanach and industrialised populations supports the hypothesis that habitual TEE is constrained, with physically demanding lifestyles necessitating trade-offs in energy allocation. Elevated WT in the absence of elevated TEE likely reflects a demanding active lifestyle in a hot, arid climate
Mobility ideation due to water problems during historic 2022 drought associated with livestock wealth, water and food insecurity, and fingernail cortisol concentration in northern Kenya
Chronic Stress and Severe Water Insecurity During the Historic 2022 Drought in Northern Kenya Were Associated With Inflammation Among Daasanach Seminomadic Pastoralists
OBJECTIVE: Extreme climatic events, like droughts, are increasing in frequency and severity. Droughts disrupt community livelihoods and resources with serious implications for human biology. This study investigated how chronic stress, measured by fingernail cortisol concentration (FCC), and water insecurity status were predictive of C-reactive protein (CRP), a biomarker of inflammation, during a historic drought among Daasanach seminomadic pastor…
Physical Activity and Pregnancy Norms Among Daasanach Semi‐Nomadic Pastoralist Women in Northern Kenya
OBJECTIVES: In subsistence populations, high physical activity is typically maintained throughout pregnancy. Market integration shifts activity patterns to resemble industrialized populations, with more time allocated to sedentary behavior. Daasanach semi-nomadic pastoralists living in northern Kenya face lifestyle heterogeneity due to the emergence of a market center. We investigate how Daasanach women manage the energetic demands of pregnancy w…
Ambient temperature and wet bulb globe temperature outperform heat index in predicting hydration status and heat perception in a semi-arid environment
In a hot, semi-arid climate, ambient temperature and WBGT accurately predict human water needs and heat stress, with children more vulnerable to dehydration. To mitigate consequences of extreme heat, local bioculturally-appropriate hydration (e.g. tea) and cooling (e.g. shade) strategies should be encouraged
Birth Weight in the Daasanach Community of Northern Kenya and the Effect of Multiparity
Historic drought in northern Kenya shifts diet and mobility away from traditional pastoralism as resource security and nutrition falter
Increased Vulnerability to Dehydration Due to Heat Stress and Drought Across Reproductive States for Pastoralist Women in Northern Kenya
Biology (7 works) · Geography (7 works) · Medicine (7 works) · Rangeland Management and Livestock Ecology (7 works) · Climate Change and Health Impacts (6 works) · Demography (5 works) · Environmental health (5 works) · Livestock (5 works) · Pastoralism (5 works) · Child Nutrition and Water Access (4 works)