Protecting infants from natural disasters: The case of vitamin A supplementation and a tornado in Bangladesh

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Gunnsteinsson, Snaebjorn; Molina, Teresa; Adhvaryu, Achyuta; Christian, Parul; Labrique, Alain; Sugimoto, Jonathan; Shamim, Abu Ahmed; West, Keith P.
• 署名单位: University of Hawaii System; University of Hawaii Manoa; National Bureau of Economic Research; University of Michigan System; University of Michigan; Johns Hopkins University; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center; University of Washington; University of Washington Seattle; Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee BRAC; BRAC University
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0304-3878
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2022.102914
• 发表日期: 2022
• 关键词: natural disasters; Early childhood; climate change; Micronutrient supplementation; Vitamin A; bangladesh

摘要

Environmental disasters have increased in frequency and intensity as a result of climate change. Can timely intervention help protect against the health impacts of these disasters? We study this question by leveraging data from a double-blind cluster-randomized controlled trial of at-birth vitamin A supplementation, which boosts immune system functioning, in Bangladesh. During the trial, a large tornado swept through the study area, affecting both treatment and control clusters. Tornado exposure in infancy decreased physical growth and increased the incidence of severe fevers. But infants who received supplementation were protected from these negative effects.