| Association between extreme rainfall and acute respiratory infection among children under-5 years in sub-Saharan Africa: an analysis of Demographic and Health Survey data, 2006–2020 |
| Authors: |
Athicha Uttajug, Kayo Ueda, Xerxes Seposo and Joel Msafiri Francis |
| Source: |
BMJ Open, 13 |
| Topic(s): |
Bronchitis
Child health
Environment and natural resources
|
| Country: |
Africa
Multiple African Countries
Angola
Benin
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Chad
Comoros
Congo Democratic Republic
Cote D'Ivoire
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Gabon
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mozambique
Namibia
Nigeria
Niger
Rwanda
Senegal
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Togo
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
|
| Published: |
APR 2023 |
| Abstract: |
Objective: Despite an increase in the number of studies examining the association between extreme weather events and infectious diseases, evidence on respiratory infection remains scarce. This study examined the association between extreme rainfall and acute respiratory infection (ARI) in children aged <5 years in sub-Saharan Africa.
Setting: Study data were taken from recent (2006–2020) Demographic and Health Survey data sets from 33 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
Participants: 280 157 children aged below 5 years were included.
Outcome measures: The proportions of ARI according to individual, household and geographical characteristics were compared using the ?2 test. The association between extreme rainfall (=90th percentile) and ARI was examined using multivariate logistic regression for 10 of 33 countries with an adequate sample size of ARI and extreme rainfall events. The model was adjusted for temperature, comorbidity and sociodemographic factors as covariates. Stratification analyses by climate zone were also performed.
Results: The prevalence of ARI in children aged <5 years ranged from 1.0% to 9.1% across sub-Saharan Africa. By country, no significant association was observed between extreme rainfall and ARI, except in Nigeria (OR: 2.14, 95% CI 1.06 to 4.31). Larger effect estimates were observed in the tropical zone (OR: 1.13, 95%?CI 0.69 to 1.84) than in the arid zone (OR: 0.72, 95%?CI 0.17 to 2.95), although the difference was not statistically significant.
Conclusion: We found no association between extreme rainfall and ARI in sub-Saharan Africa. Effect estimates tended to be larger in the tropical zone where intense rainfall events regularly occur. Comprehensive studies to investigate subsequent extreme climate events, such as flooding, are warranted in the future. |
| Web: |
https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/4/e071874#DC1 |
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