Health Sciences Seminar Series

Wednesday, 4 December 2019 - 12:00pm - Room A1.51

Paula Griffiths, Professor of Population Health

Leads Loughborough University’s global research challenge in health and wellbeing

‘Impact of extreme weather conditions on healthcare provision in urban Ghana’

BIO: Paula Griffiths is Professor of Population Health (0.8 FTE) and leads Loughborough University’s global research challenge in health and wellbeing. Her research focuses on inequalities in health outcomes in low and middle income countries and community strategies to reduce these, particularly in Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Peru & India. Her current research focuses on 1) Feasibility of incorporating care for child development messages into the baby friendly community initiative in rural Kenya, 2) Leading a global nutrition network on complementary and responsive feeding in sub-Saharan Africa, 3) drivers of food choice in urban populations in Kenya and Ghana, 4) Development of baby friendly community and workplace interventions to support optimal infant growth and development in Kenya, 5) Supporting optimal infant feeding through double duty actions in Peru, 6) Identifying challenges to health system operation in the face of extreme climate events, and 6) Food Security among Massai women and the urban poor in Kenya. As a Social Scientist Professor Griffiths brings expertise to global development projects that facilitates the understanding of the social contexts in which people live and how these influence their behaviours and uptake of interventions designed to improve growth, development and health in resource poor settings.

 Impact of extreme weather conditions on healthcare provision in urban Ghana

Abstract

Extreme weather events pose significant threats to urban health and health service delivery in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where there are systemic health challenges. This seminar presents health system vulnerabilities associated with flooding and extreme heat, and strategies for resilience building by service providers and community members, in Accra and Tamale, Ghana. At the end of the seminar there will be an opportunity for discussion regarding potential future collaborations in solving some of the problems identified in this exploratory research.

The study employed field observations, temperature measurements, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions in homes and health facilities in selected areas of the cities. Results indicate that socioeconomic characteristics and the built environment make residents of poor urban areas susceptible to infectious and non-infectious disease burdens from flooding and extreme heat, as well as reduce their access to healthcare. Health facilities are sited in low-lying areas with poor drainage systems and are also typically ~5°C warmer at night than outdoor meteorological sites in the area due to a combination of greater thermal inertia of the buildings and the urban heat island. Flooding and extreme heat interact with socioeconomic conditions to impact physical infrastructure and disrupt community health as well as health facility operations.

Community members and health facilities make infrastructural and operational adjustments to reduce extreme weather stress and improve healthcare provision to clients. These include mobilisation of residents to clear rubbish and unclog drains; and elevating fixed and movable equipment to protect them from floods. Others include improving ventilation during extreme heat; alternative power during power outages for emergency surgery and storage. Stakeholders recommend additional measures to improve management of flood and heat impacts on health in their cities. These include improvements in the capacity of drainage systems to carry floodwaters, and routine temperature monitoring to better manage heat in health facilities. Finally, more timely and targeted information systems and emergency response plans are required to ensure preparedness for extreme weather events.

Acknowledgement: This is work undertaken in partnership with the University of Ghana, Accra and University of Development Studies, Tamale funded by the British Academy (PI Professor Kate Gough, Department of Geography, Loughborough University) under their Cities and Infrastructure programme. Professor Griffiths co-led the workpackage that delivered the health services component of the project with Professor Sam Codjoe, University of Ghana.