Climate Change and African Migrant Health.

INTRODUCTION: Climate change exacerbates existing sociopolitical and economic vulnerabilities, undermining livelihoods, inflating the risk of conflict, and making it difficult for people to remain stable. In 2019, around 25 million new displacements occurred due to natural disasters. This review aims to summarize the existing evidence regarding the impact of climate change on the health of African immigrants. METHODS: Nine databases were systematically searched using a strategy developed in collaboration with a subject librarian. Potentially relevant articles were identified, screened, and reviewed by at least two reviewers, with a third reviewer resolving conflicts where necessary. Data were extracted from relevant articles using a standardized form. RESULTS: Seven studies (three cross-sectional, two qualitative, one cohort, and one need assessment report) were identified; they included different categories of African migrants and reported on various aspects of health. The included articles report on climate change, e.g., flooding, drought, and excess heat, resulting in respiratory illness, mental health issues, malnutrition, and premature mortality among African immigrants. CONCLUSION: This review suggests climate change adversely affects the physical, mental, and social health of African immigrants. It also highlights a knowledge gap in evidence related to the impact of climate change on the health of African immigrants.

Health of African Refugee Children Outside Africa: A Scoping Review.

PROBLEM: Africa is the largest source continent of refugee children. However, we found no published synthesis of the literature on the health of African refugee children outside Africa. Conducting a review of the literature on this particular population will help illuminate the particular contextual health issues faced by African child refugees who live outside Africa. The purpose of this review is to synthesize what is known from the existing literature regarding the health of sub-Saharan African refugee children who live outside Africa. METHODS: We completed a scoping review of the published literature. We included articles published in English with a focus on the health of sub-Saharan African refugee children living outside Africa. We excluded studies of refugees in Africa as the living conditions of these refugees, most of whom reside in camps, are very different from those outside Africa. Using relevant keywords, we searched 10 databases to identify and screen 6602 articles after duplicates were eliminated. SAMPLE: A total of 20 studies were included in this review. FINDINGS: Published research articles on sub-Saharan African child refugees living outside Africa focus on infectious diseases, mental health and neurodevelopmental disorders, food insecurity and psychosocial adjustment, physical health (including obesity), and health promotion strategies. This population is characterized by a high rate of infectious diseases (e.g., malaria), obesity, and mental health problems, especially post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: To attend to the health needs of sub-Saharan African refugee children who live outside Africa, interventions should address pre-migration factors as well as post-migration factors (including income and community belonging) while employing a strengths-based perspective.

Age of pubertal events among school girls in Lagos, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Globally, there is a secular trend towards the reduced age for sexual maturity and menarche. This study aimed to determine the current age and factors associated with attainment of various stages of puberty in Nigerian girls. METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional study involving 800 girls aged 6-15 years. The subjects were selected by stratified random sampling method from schools in Oshodi Local Government Area, Lagos State. They were interviewed and a physical examination was carried out to classify them into the various Tanner stages of breast and pubic hair maturational stages. RESULTS: The median age of girls at first stage of breast maturation (B2), first stage of pubic hair development (PH2) and at menarche were 9.0, 9.0 and 12.0 years, respectively. Breast development was significantly related to normal nutritional status (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 4.5, p<0.001), overweight (AOR 40.2, p<0.001), obesity (AOR 154.2, p<0.001) and upper social class (AOR 15.7, p<0.031). Pubic hair development was significantly related only to overweight (AOR 4.7, p<0.007) and obesity (AOR 15.7, p<0.001) while achievement of menarche was significantly related to overweight (AOR 0.1, p=0.005), obesity (AOR 0.1, p=0.0009), high social class (AOR 4.7, p<0.001) and being a member of the Hausa tribe (AOR 35.8, p<0.029). CONCLUSIONS: There is decline in age of pubertal maturation of girls in Nigeria and the major contributory factors appear to be overweight and obesity. These findings are consistent with the pattern in developed countries.