Preterm birth, birth weight, infant weight gain and their associations with childhood asthma and spirometry: a cross-sectional observational study in Nairobi, Kenya

This journal article is based on work undertaken during the Tupumue research project, which explored how the respiratory health of schoolchildren in Nairobi was impacted by both indoor and outdoor air pollution. The Tupumue project’s results indicated that children attending schools in informal settlements were more likely to have symptoms associated with asthma than those attending schools in a more affluent area. 

During the course of the Tupumue project, researchers also looked at the children’s immunization booklets, which contained records of their birth weight and weights through their first year. By looking at the children’s birth characteristics alongside the evidence collected on the children’s lung health, the researchers were able to identify relationships between birth characteristics such as preterm birth and low birth weight, and childhood respiratory symptoms and lung function. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first time these associations have been made in a sub-Saharan Africa setting.

The authors recommended that health interventions which target the first 1000 days from conception could be vital for long-term respiratory health for people in sub-Saharan Africa.