Protecting infants from natural disasters: The case of vitamin A supplementation and a tornado in Bangladesh

Snaebjorn Gunnsteinsson; Teresa Molina; Achyuta Adhvaryu; Parul Christian; Alain Labrique; Jonathan Sugimoto; Abu Ahmed Shamim; Keith P. West

doi:10.1016/j.jdeveco.2022.102914

Protecting infants from natural disasters: The case of vitamin A supplementation and a tornado in Bangladesh

Snaebjorn Gunnsteinsson, Teresa Molina, Achyuta Adhvaryu, Parul Christian, Alain Labrique, Jonathan Sugimoto, Abu Ahmed Shamim, Keith P. West

Bloomberg School of Public Health

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Environmental disasters have increased in frequency and intensity as a result of climate change. Can timely intervention help protect against the health impacts of these disasters? We study this question by leveraging data from a double-blind cluster-randomized controlled trial of at-birth vitamin A supplementation, which boosts immune system functioning, in Bangladesh. During the trial, a large tornado swept through the study area, affecting both treatment and control clusters. Tornado exposure in infancy decreased physical growth and increased the incidence of severe fevers. But infants who received supplementation were protected from these negative effects.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	102914
Journal	Journal of Development Economics
Volume	158
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2022.102914
State	Published - Sep 2022

Keywords

Bangladesh
Climate change
Early childhood
Micronutrient supplementation
Natural disasters
Vitamin A

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Development
Economics and Econometrics

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10.1016/j.jdeveco.2022.102914

Cite this

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title = "Protecting infants from natural disasters: The case of vitamin A supplementation and a tornado in Bangladesh",

abstract = "Environmental disasters have increased in frequency and intensity as a result of climate change. Can timely intervention help protect against the health impacts of these disasters? We study this question by leveraging data from a double-blind cluster-randomized controlled trial of at-birth vitamin A supplementation, which boosts immune system functioning, in Bangladesh. During the trial, a large tornado swept through the study area, affecting both treatment and control clusters. Tornado exposure in infancy decreased physical growth and increased the incidence of severe fevers. But infants who received supplementation were protected from these negative effects.",

keywords = "Bangladesh, Climate change, Early childhood, Micronutrient supplementation, Natural disasters, Vitamin A",

author = "Snaebjorn Gunnsteinsson and Teresa Molina and Achyuta Adhvaryu and Parul Christian and Alain Labrique and Jonathan Sugimoto and Shamim, {Abu Ahmed} and West, {Keith P.}",

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AU - Gunnsteinsson, Snaebjorn

AU - Molina, Teresa

AU - Adhvaryu, Achyuta

AU - Christian, Parul

AU - Labrique, Alain

AU - Sugimoto, Jonathan

AU - Shamim, Abu Ahmed

AU - West, Keith P.

PY - 2022/9

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AB - Environmental disasters have increased in frequency and intensity as a result of climate change. Can timely intervention help protect against the health impacts of these disasters? We study this question by leveraging data from a double-blind cluster-randomized controlled trial of at-birth vitamin A supplementation, which boosts immune system functioning, in Bangladesh. During the trial, a large tornado swept through the study area, affecting both treatment and control clusters. Tornado exposure in infancy decreased physical growth and increased the incidence of severe fevers. But infants who received supplementation were protected from these negative effects.

KW - Bangladesh

KW - Climate change

KW - Early childhood

KW - Micronutrient supplementation

KW - Natural disasters

KW - Vitamin A

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Protecting infants from natural disasters: The case of vitamin A supplementation and a tornado in Bangladesh

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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