2026-10-09T16:47:08Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/34013796 2026-09-28T12:56:09Z category_26935 category_27193 category_27199 category_27190 category_25018 item_type_3 month_year_09_2026

<b>A cross-sectional analysis of proximate household environmental predictors of birth outcomes in Ghana.</b> Samuel Amon (14029704) Environmental assessment and monitoring Health promotion Preventative health care Health equity Community planning household factors environmental exposure birth outcomes stillbirth Ghana <p dir="ltr">Ghana presents a compelling study context due to its distinct ecological zones, ranging from the savanna belt in the north to the coastal and forest ecosystems in the south. Regions such as the Northern and Volta regions exhibit substantial ecological, climatic, and socio-environmental disparities. The Northern region is characterized by semi-arid conditions, high reliance on open well/surface water, widespread biomass fuel use, and severe infrastructural poverty. In contrast, the Volta region encompasses coastal and transitional forest zones with distinct microclimates, hydrological profiles, and varying levels of urban-rural development. Standard epidemiological studies frequently treat environmental exposures as uniform across populations, ignoring how geographical and ecological context modulates exposure intensity and healthcare access. Assessing proximate household environmental predictors across distinct ecological zones is therefore essential for disentangling environmental toxicity from socioeconomic confounding.</p><p dir="ltr">Despite growing recognition of environmental health threats, comprehensive population-based analyses evaluating household environmental predictors of birth outcomes while adjusting for structural socio-demographic confounders across ecologically distinct regions in Ghana remain limited. Addressing these evidence gaps is crucial for guiding multi-sectoral policy frameworks that bridge environmental sanitation, housing improvement, and maternal-child health services under the UHC umbrella. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the proximate household environmental predictors of birth outcomes (live births versus stillbirths) across the two regions (Northern and Volta regions) in Ghana.</p> 2026-09-28T12:56:09Z Dataset Dataset 10.6084/m9.figshare.34013796.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/_b_A_cross-sectional_analysis_of_proximate_household_environmental_predictors_of_birth_outcomes_in_Ghana_b_/34013796 CC BY 4.0