Improving the understanding of the effects of climate change on respiratory diseases in child and adolescent health in Portuguese-speaking African countries

Africa is heavily impacted by respiratory illnesses and the repercussions of climate change. However, the relationship between these two factors is poorly understood in the region. This study investigates the relationship between climate and ecological variables and the incidence of respiratory diseases in children under 15 years of age in Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, and São Tomé and Príncipe. Health data (outpatient, hospitalizations, and deaths) will be collected from the District Health Information System and analyzed based on demographic variables and health facilities. These data will be triangulated with climate and ecological data (variation in average temperature, precipitation, relative air humidity, vegetation cover, and atmospheric pollution) and aggregated into epidemiological weeks. Possible adjustments and additional details will be made for inferring socio-economic determinants and specific statistical projections for each population age group in each study year. Additionally, a sub-analysis will be conducted considering different COVID-19 databases to verify the disease’s relationships with the variables of interest. Together, these results can identify patterns of respiratory disease incidence in vulnerable populations, mainly women and children