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

Bibliographic Data

ID11030648
AuthorsMaryia Bakhtsiyarava (0000-0001-5327-4556, Maryia Bakhtsiyarava is a PhD student with the Department of Geography, Environment, and Society, University of Minnesota, and Minnesota Population Center, Minneapolis. Kathryn Grace is also with the Department of Geography, Environment, and Society, University of Minnesota, and Minnesota Population Center. At the time of study, Raphael J. Nawrotzki was with the University of Minnesota and Minnesota Population Center, Minneapolis.), Kelly Grace (0000-0003-4822-6183, Maryia Bakhtsiyarava is a PhD student with the Department of Geography, Environment, and Society, University of Minnesota, and Minnesota Population Center, Minneapolis. Kathryn Grace is also with the Department of Geography, Environment, and Society, University of Minnesota, and Minnesota Population Center. At the time of study, Raphael J. Nawrotzki was with the University of Minnesota and Minnesota Population Center, Minneapolis.), Kathryn Grace, Raphael Nawrotzki (0000-0002-1671-3676, University of Minnesota), Raphael J Nawrotzki (Maryia Bakhtsiyarava is a PhD student with the Department of Geography, Environment, and Society, University of Minnesota, and Minnesota Population Center, Minneapolis. Kathryn Grace is also with the Department of Geography, Environment, and Society, University of Minnesota, and Minnesota Population Center. At the time of study, Raphael J. Nawrotzki was with the University of Minnesota and Minnesota Population Center, Minneapolis.)
Year2018
Volume108
IssueS2
PagesS144-S150
Publication date2018-04-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-0036 • E-ISSN: 1541-0048
PublisherAmerican Public Health Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2105/ajph.2017.304128
PMID29072943
OpenAlexW2765932079
LanguageEN
Citations received23
References cited23

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

Agriculture · Biology · Cash crop · Climate change · Cropping · Economics · Environmental health · Geography · Livelihood · Livestock · Pastoralism · Socioeconomics · Agricultural risk and resilience · Climate Change and Health Impacts · Climate change impacts on agriculture · Ecology · Medicine

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Open DOISci-HubOpen Access