Assessing the Effect of Extreme Weather on Population Health Using Consumer-Grade Wearables in Rural Burkina Faso: Observational Panel Study

• Published in: JMIR mHealth and uHealth 2023-11, Vol.11, p.e46980-e46980
• Main Authors: Koch, Mara, Matzke, Ina, Huhn, Sophie, Sié, Ali, Boudo, Valentin, Compaoré, Guillaume, Maggioni, Martina Anna, Bunker, Aditi, Bärnighausen, Till, Dambach, Peter, Barteit, Sandra
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptation; Burkina Faso - epidemiology; Climate change; Developing countries; Extreme Weather; Health surveillance; Heat; Humans; LDCs; Longitudinal studies; Medical research; Mortality; Multimedia; Observational studies; Population; Population Health; Public health; Rain; Rural Population; Smartphones; Temperature; Water
• ISSN: 2291-5222; 2291-5222
• DOI: 10.2196/46980

Extreme weather, including heat and extreme rainfall, is projected to increase owing to climate change, which can have adverse impacts on human health. In particular, rural populations in sub-Saharan Africa are at risk because of a high burden of climate-sensitive diseases and low adaptive capacities. However, there is a lack of data on the regions that are anticipated to be most exposed to climate change. Improved public health surveillance is essential for better decision-making and health prioritization and to identify risk groups and suitable adaptation measures. Digital technologies such as consumer-grade wearable devices (wearables) may generate objective measurements to guide data-driven decision-making. The main objective of this observational study was to examine the impact of weather exposure on population health in rural Burkina Faso using wearables. Specifically, this study aimed to assess the relationship between individual daily activity (steps), sleep duration, and heart rate (HR), as estimated by wearables, and exposure to heat and heavy rainfall. Overall, 143 participants from the Nouna health and demographic surveillance system in Burkina Faso wore the Withings Pulse HR wearable 24/7 for 11 months. We collected continuous weather data using 5 weather stations throughout the study region. The heat index and wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) were calculated as measures of heat. We used linear mixed-effects models to quantify the relationship between exposure to heat and rainfall and the wearable parameters. Participants kept activity journals and completed a questionnaire on their perception of and adaptation to heat and other weather exposure. Sleep duration decreased significantly (P30 °C. Nighttime HR showed no significant correlation with heat exposure. Daytime HR data were insufficient for analysis. We found no negative health impact a