Frontiers in global women's health
An integrated climate-structured personal and ambient air pollution monitoring framework embedded within a pregnancy and postpartum cohort in Sub-Saharan Africa
By Makacha L, Nune J, Makanga PT and 18 others.
Abstract
Background
In sub-Saharan Africa, climatic variability intersects with structural inequities-biomass reliance, informal livelihoods, rapid urbanisation, and sparse regulatory monitoring-to generate highly heterogeneous air pollution exposures during pregnancy. Maternal exposure assessment in the region remains dominated by coarse ambient estimates, limiting understanding of how climate and microenvironment jointly shape actual personal exposure through their influence on pollutant generation, dispersion, and proximity to emission sources.
Objective
To develop and implement an adaptable, climate-structured personal and ambient PM₂.₅ monitoring framework embedded within the PRECISE pregnancy cohort across The Gambia, Kenya, and Mozambique.