BUILDING A CLIMATE COHORT TO MONITOR HEALTH IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN GHANA (WELLCOME TRUST)

November 6, 2019 | Ongoing Project | Reading time: 5 min

Investigators
Dr. Kwaku Poku Asante (KHRC), Dr Patrick Ansah (NHRC), Prof Leonard Amekudzi (KNUST), Dr Darby Jack (CU), Dr Alison Lee (ISMMS)Dr Cascade Tuholske (MSU)

Introduction/Background

Climate change is eroding global health gains, particularly in low-and middle-income countries, where capacity for climate-compatible policy planning in sensitive areas like health is weak. Accurate estimates of climate sensitivities are essential for justifying mitigation policies and planning adaptation. While researchers have made progress in quantifying these sensitivities, key studies lack data from Africa. This leaves African policymakers without reliable information on the climate impact, forcing them to rely on data from other regions as proxies. Without localized estimates, governments and stakeholders in Africa struggle to forecast and prepare for climate impacts.

To address this challenge, the Kintampo Health Research Centre (KHRC) with funding from Wellcome Trust, UK, is leading a three-year study to evaluate the health impacts of climate change in West Africa to influence climate policy. This study is implemented in collaboration with the Navrongo Health Research Centre (NHRC, Ghana), Dodowa Health Research Centre (DHRC, Ghana), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST, Ghana), Colombia University (CU, USA), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS, USA) and Montana State University (MSU, USA).

The study uses longitudinal data from our Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) and cohort studies to identify the health outcomes associated with climate change, along with vulnerability and resilience factors, to inform policy and practice. This initiative also focuses on creating a scalable framework for climate health research in Ghana and support similar health research institutions across sub-Saharan Africa.

Objectives
This study has three main objectives:
• Quantify the impact of temperature and precipitation on mortality, examining factors such as age, cause of death, gender, and household wealth.
• Quantify the effect of temperature on birth outcomes and child growth, analyzing variations by household wealth, child gender, and maternal education.
• Engage with policy stakeholders, communities, and researchers, to communicate the climate-related health sensitivities identified in first two objectives to key climate policymakers in the Government of Ghana and advocate for their integration into climate policy.

Expected Outcomes
The outcomes include an understanding of climate change sensitivities related to health, which will be communicated to policymakers and used to support climate-compatible strategies. By identifying climate vulnerabilities and resilience factors, this study will support Ghana’s policy stakeholders in planning health responses to climate risks. It will also establish climate-health cohorts, providing an evidence-based approach to climate policy in Ghana and setting a model for sub-Saharan Africa.

Study Methodology and Rationale
The study will cover communities within the Kintampo, Navrongo, and Dodowa HDSS areas, each with distinct ecological and demographic characteristics. The Kintampo area, for example, falls within the Volta Basin with semi-arid grassland ecology, while Navrongo and Dodowa are part of the Guinea Savannah and Coastal Savannah belts, respectively.

The study is divided into three key work packages (WPs): Work Package 1 uses existing health and demographic surveillance systems (HDSS) data to assess the impact of climate exposure on mortality rates, considering demographic factors such as age, wealth, and gender. The average sample size is approximately 480,000 persons under surveillance.

Work Package 2 analyzes the effects of temperature and precipitation on birth and early childhood outcomes, leveraging previously collected data including the Ghana Randomized Air Pollution and Health Study (GRAPHS) and Pregnancy Risk, Infant Surveillance, and Measurement Alliance (PRISMA) pregnancy cohorts.

Work Package 3 engages communities, policy stakeholders, and advocacy groups through focus group discussions, oral histories, and community consultations to capture perceptions of climate change impacts. Community leaders, religious figures, and local historians will contribute insights to contextualize climate effects on agriculture, health, and livelihoods.

In addition to regular reviews by the Scientific and Ethics Committees, the study is guided by a Steering Committee of international experts and an Executive Committee of primary investigators to ensure progress and align research activities with policy objectives.

Funders
This project is funded by the Wellcome Trust, UK.

Collaborators
Navrongo Health Research Centre (NHRC, Ghana), Dodowa Health Research Centre (DHRC, Ghana), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST, Ghana), Colombia University (CU, USA), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS, USA) and Montana State University (MSU, USA).

Conclusion
By developing a “climate cohort” in Ghana, this study will build a critical evidence base on the health impacts of climate change in West Africa, informing health and climate policies that aim to enhance resilience against climate-related health risks. The findings will serve as a valuable resource for climate-health research across sub-Saharan Africa. This initiative represents a critical step in regional climate resilience, with potential implications for improving health and quality of life across the continent.