Household behavioural responses to changing rainfall patterns in rural Gambia and the risks for human health

气候变化正日益影响西非农村人口的健康。冈比亚的年降雨量下降了25-30%。鉴于国内某些疾病（如营养不良和传染病）已确定的季节性趋势，这可能对健康结果产生影响。冈比亚降雨模式与健康结果之间的关系将采用混合方法（定性和定量）进行研究。将特别侧重于调查人们对降雨和干旱条件的实际和感知变化的行为反应（例如，将家庭用水转用于农业目的），并评估其对健康的影响。该项目将扩大观测到的气候变化与健康相关的证据基础，并提供与政策相关的证据，帮助各国更好地应对当前和未来的风险。关于家庭对干旱和降雨模式变化的反应对健康的影响的研究是有限的，因此这个项目将增进对这些反应和气候变化对健康的潜在影响的了解。该项目将与FACE-Africa项目联系起来，后者评估冈比亚粮食系统对气候变化的适应情况及其对人类健康的影响。这项研究将通过探索环境压力与农业社区健康之间的关系来支持项目目标，这反过来可以帮助估计粮食系统适应如何减轻这种潜在的健康负担。

Increasingly climate change is affecting the health of rural populations in West Africa. Annual rainfall has declined by 25-30% in The Gambia. This is likely to have an impact on health outcomes, given the established seasonal trends of certain diseases within the country, such as malnutrition and infectious disease. The relationship between rainfall patterns in The Gambia and health outcomes will be examined using a mixed-methods (qualitative and quantitative) approach. There will be a particular focus on investigating behavioural responses to actual and perceived changes in rainfall and drought conditions (e.g. diverting water from household use for agricultural purposes) and assessing the implications for health. This project will broaden the evidence base related to observed climate change and health, and provide policy-relevant evidence to help countries better address current and future risks. Research is limited on the health effect of household responses to droughts and changes in rainfall patterns, therefore this project would enhance understanding of these responses and of the potential health implications of climate change.This project would link to the FACE-Africa project, which assesses adaptations to climate change in the food system in The Gambia and their implications for human health. The research would support the project objectives by exploring the relationship between environmental pressures and the health of agricultural communities, which in turn could help to estimate how food systems adaptations might reduce this potential health burden.