Assessing the Influence of Temperature and Precipitation Extremes on Women's Nutritional Status in Egypt and Jordan

Georgina Gemayel, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Clark Gray, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Women in the Southwest Asian and North Africa (SWANA) region are increasingly vulnerable to the nutritional impacts of climate change. This study examines the relationship between climate extremes and women's nutritional status, focusing on body mass index (BMI) and hemoglobin levels among 110,213 women aged 15-49 in Egypt and Jordan. We employ fixed-effects regression models to analyze these effects using data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and Climatic Research Unit-time series (CRU-TS). Higher temperatures, especially when combined with average or lower precipitation, are associated with reduced BMI and lower odds of obesity, particularly in urban areas. Conversely, hotter temperatures with average precipitation are linked to increased hemoglobin levels and reduced odds of anemia, with more substantial effects in rural areas. These findings underscore the need for targeted public health interventions and policies, emphasizing the importance of addressing urban-rural disparities and considering geographical contexts in shaping women's nutritional outcomes.

Keywords: Population, Environment, and Climate Change, Gender Dynamics, Population and Development, Health and Morbidity

See paper.