Peer-reviewed article
The effect of extreme weather events on child nutrition and health
Emily Injete Amondo, Emmanuel Nshakira‐Rukundo, Alisher Mirzabaev ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined how extreme weather events affect child nutrition and health in rural Uganda using data from 2009–2014. Droughts significantly reduced the availability of calories, protein, zinc and diet diversity for children. The research found that reduced zinc supply led to stunting and reduced height in both boys and girls. Households used different coping strategies that either helped or failed to protect children's nutrition during these weather shocks.
Key points
- Droughts reduced calorie supply by 67%, protein by 37%, zinc by 28%, and diet diversity by 30%
- A 10% decrease in zinc supply decreased height-for-age z-scores by 0.139–0.164 standard deviations and increased stunting probability by 3.1–3.5 percentage points
- Both boys and girls showed sensitivity to nutrient inadequacies in their growth outcomes
- Household coping and adaptation strategies significantly influenced children's ability to maintain nutrition during weather shocks
- Building ex-ante resilience is more effective than ex-post relief actions for protecting child nutrition
Limitations
The study is observational and cannot show whether all confounding factors were controlled for. The findings are specific to rural Uganda and may not apply to other regions or urban settings.
Abstract
Abstract This study traces the causal effects of extreme weather events on nutritional and health outcomes among rural children in Uganda using four waves of individual child survey data (2009–2014). A simultaneous regression model was applied for causal inference while also accounting for households’ adaptive responses. The study finds the evidence of a significant negative relationship between extreme weather events and availability of calories and nutrients for children. In particular, droughts reduced calorie, protein and zinc supply, and overall diet diversity by 67%, 37%, 28% and 30%, respectively. We further traced the effects of this reduced calorie and nutrient availability on child health indicators. A 10% decrease in zinc supply decreased height-for-age z-scores (HAZ) by around 0.139 - 0.164 standard deviations (SD), and increased probability of stunting ranging from 3.1 to 3.5 percentage points. Both boys and girls HAZ and stunting rates were sensitive to nutrient inadequacies. Different coping and adaptation strategies significantly influenced rural households’ ability to safeguard children’s nutrition and health against the effects of extreme weather. The findings of this study provide specific insights for building ex-ante resilience against extreme weather events, particularly when compared to ex-post, unsustainable, and often costlier relief actions.