Extreme rain reduces facility births in sub-Saharan Africa

Each additional day of extreme precipitation within three days of birth reduces facility-based births by -10.8 per 1000 live births, representing a 1.9% decrease from baseline. This indicates that Extreme Precipitation Events (EPEs) increase non-facility births, potentially lacking skilled attendance and emergency care.

Researchers assessed how Extreme Precipitation Events (EPEs) influence facility-based births in 21 sub-Saharan African countries. They analyzed 256,101 live births from 12,948 locations, combining Demographic and Health Survey data with gridded daily precipitation data.

The abstract focuses on the study's findings regarding extreme precipitation and birth outcomes; it does not provide personal how-to steps or advice.

This study used a linear probability model with a three-day exposure window to analyze live births from 2015–2021. EPEs were defined as daily rainfall exceeding the 85th percentile of the local historical distribution, with findings consistent across varying EPE definitions.