Contact

Additional Info

  • Mail Code: 6015

All Publications

  • Flooding and elevated prenatal depression in a climate-sensitive community in rural Bangladesh: a mixed methods study. medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences Hanif, S., Momo, J. E., Jahan, F., Goldberg, L., Herbert, N., Yeamin, A., Shoab, A. K., Akhter, R. M., Roy, S. K., Heitmann, G. B., Ercumen, A., Rahman, M., Tofail, F., Wong-Parodi, G., Benjamin-Chung, J. 2024

    Abstract

    Prenatal depression can have lasting adverse impacts on child health. Little is known about the impact of floods on prenatal depression in low- and middle-income countries.We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 881 pregnant women from September 24, 2023 to July 19, 2024 in riverine communities in rural Bangladesh. We recorded participant-reported flooding in the past 6 months, administered the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and obtained water level data and remote sensing data on distance to surface water. We fit generalized linear and log-linear models adjusting for month, wealth, education, age, and gestational age. We conducted 2 focus group discussions with 20 adult women.3.6% of compounds were flooded in the past 6 months. Compound flooding was associated with elevated depression (adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR) = 2.08, 95% CI 1.14, 3.51) and thoughts of self-harm (aPR=8.40, 95% CI 4.19, 16.10). Latrine flooding was associated with higher depression (aPR=3.58, 95% CI 1.49, 7.29)). Higher water levels and shorter distance to permanent surface water were significantly associated with mean EPDS scores. Focus groups revealed that domestic violence, inadequate sanitation, gendered vulnerabilities in accessing latrines, childcare difficulties, and food insecurity were key drivers of depression due to floods. Flood preparedness strategies included relocation, storing food, and home modifications.Flooding, higher water levels, and proximity to water bodies were associated with prenatal depression in a rural, low-income setting. Inadequate sanitation and hygiene infrastructure were particularly strong drivers of depression.Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

    View details for DOI 10.1101/2024.11.25.24317922

    View details for PubMedID 39649600

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC11623739

  • Global drivers of mangrove loss in protected areas. Conservation biology : the journal of the Society for Conservation Biology Heck, N., Goldberg, L., Andradi-Brown, D. A., Campbell, A., Narayan, S., Ahmadia, G. N., Lagomasino, D. 2024: e14293

    Abstract

    Despite increasing efforts and investment in mangrove conservation, mangrove cover continues to decline globally. The extent to which protected area (PA) management effectively prevents mangrove loss globally across differing management objectives and governance types is not well understood. We combined remote sensing data with PA information to identify the extent and the drivers of mangrove loss across PAs with distinct governance types and protection levels based on categories developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Mangrove loss due to storms and erosion was prevalent across all governance types and most IUCN categories. However, the extent of human-driven loss differed across governance types and IUCN categories. Loss was highest in national government PAs. Private, local, shared arrangement, and subnational government agencies had low human-driven mangrove loss. Human-driven loss was highest in PAs with the highest level of restrictions on human activities (IUCN category I) due to mangrove conversion to areas for commodity production (e.g., aquaculture), whereas PAs that allowed sustainable resource use (e.g., category VI) experienced low levels of human-driven mangrove loss. Because category I PAs with high human-driven loss were primarily governed by national government agencies, conservation outcomes in highly PAs might depend not only on the level of restrictions, but also on the governance type. Mangrove loss across different governance types and IUCN categories varied regionally. Specific governance types and IUCN categories thus seemed more effective in preventing mangrove loss in certain regions. Overall, we found that natural drivers contributed to global mangrove loss across all PAs, whereas human-driven mangrove loss was lowest in PAs with subnational- to local-level governance and PAs with few restrictions on human activities.

    View details for DOI 10.1111/cobi.14293

    View details for PubMedID 38766900