JadeChui/heat-children-Africa

Interactive effect of pre- and post-birth heat exposure on under-five mortality in sub-Saharan Africa # Overview This study aims to enhance understanding of the effects of pre- and post-birth heat exposure on under-five mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Using a family-based case-control approach with data from 29 countries, the research controls for household-level confounding factors and explores various analytical models to assess heat exposure effects on child mortality and pregnancy loss. # Research Objectives 1. Main Model: Evaluate the association between monthly heat days and under-five mortality. 2. Interaction Model: Assess the modification effect of gestational heat exposure. 3. Heterogeneity Analysis: Examine differences in gestational heat effects by gender and regional heat frequency. 4. Nonparametric Analysis: Explore nonlinear effects of heat exposure and test the hypothesis of in-utero selection. # Software Requirements R Statistical Software 4.1.0 # Data Sources 1. Health Data Source: DHS Program (Demographic and Health Surveys) Files: Birth's Recode (BR) files and Individual Recode (IR) files Content: Monthly records of children's survival status and pregnancy outcomes Access: DHS Program 2. Meteorological Data Source: ERA5 (Copernicus Climate Change Service) Datasets: Monthly data (0.25° × 0.25° resolution): Temperature, relative humidity, precipitation. Daily data (0.25° × 0.25° resolution): Temperature. Access: Copernicus Climate Change Service 3. Air Pollution Data Source: EAC4 (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) Datasets: Monthly data (0.75° × 0.75° resolution):SO₂, NO₂, CO, PM₂.₅, and PM₁₀. Access: Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service # Project Structure The analysis pipeline consists of four steps: 1. Data Extraction DHS-child.Rmd: Extract child survival data from DHS. DHS-pregnancy.Rmd: Extract pregnancy loss data from DHS. 2. Geospatial Data Processing DHS-GPS-weather.Rmd: Extract DHS GPS coordinates and match with meterolog …