Study protocol for an observational cohort study of heat stress impacts in pregnancy in The Gambia, West Africa [version 2; peer review: 1 approved, 2 approved with reservations]
Climate change has resulted in an increase in heat exposure globally. There is strong evidence that this increased heat stress is associated with poor maternal and fetal outcomes, especially in vulnerable populations. However, there remains poor understanding of the biological pathways and mechanism...
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Wellcome
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Wellcome Open Research |
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| Online Access: | https://wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/9-624/v2 |
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| author | Jane E Hirst Ana Bonell Abdul Sesay Leonidas G. Ioannou Bubacarr Bah Kris A. Murray Andy Haines Sophie E. Moore David Jeffries Neil S Maxwell Ana Vicero-Cabrera Apolline Saucy Cally Tan Emmanuel Okoh Dorothy Watters Bakary Sonko Williams Oluwatosin Adefila Yahaya Idris Mam Leigh-Nabou Jarra Manneh Andreas Flouris Sainabou Bojang Amanda N Sferruzzi-Perri Andrew Prentice |
| author_facet | Jane E Hirst Ana Bonell Abdul Sesay Leonidas G. Ioannou Bubacarr Bah Kris A. Murray Andy Haines Sophie E. Moore David Jeffries Neil S Maxwell Ana Vicero-Cabrera Apolline Saucy Cally Tan Emmanuel Okoh Dorothy Watters Bakary Sonko Williams Oluwatosin Adefila Yahaya Idris Mam Leigh-Nabou Jarra Manneh Andreas Flouris Sainabou Bojang Amanda N Sferruzzi-Perri Andrew Prentice |
| author_sort | Jane E Hirst |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Climate change has resulted in an increase in heat exposure globally. There is strong evidence that this increased heat stress is associated with poor maternal and fetal outcomes, especially in vulnerable populations. However, there remains poor understanding of the biological pathways and mechanisms involved in the impact of heat in pregnancy. This observational cohort study of 764 pregnant participants based in sub-Saharan Africa, a geographical region at risk of extreme heat events, aims to evaluate the physiological and biochemical changes that occur in pregnancy due to heat stress. The key objectives of the study are to 1) map exposure to heat stress in the cohort and understand what environmental, social and community factors increase the risk of extreme heat exposure; 2) assess the impact of heat stress on maternal health, e.g. heat strain, subjective psychological well-being, sleep and activity level; 3) evaluate how heat stress impacts placenta structure and function; 4) determine how chronic heat exposure impacts birth outcomes; and 5) explore the epigenetic changes in the placenta and infant by heat stress exposure per trimester. Pregnant women will be recruited from two distinct regions in The Gambia to exploit the naturally occurring heat gradient across the country. Microclimate mapping of the area of recruitment will give detailed exposure measurements. Participants will be asked to wear a watch-style device at 28- and 35-weeks gestational age to evaluate maternal heart rate, activity and sleep. At the end of the week, an ultrasound scan will be performed to evaluate fetal size and placental blood flow. At delivery, birth outcomes will be recorded and maternal, placental and cord samples taken for epigenetic, biochemical and histological evaluation. Evaluation of neuro-behaviour and final infant samples will be taken at 1 month following birth. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e2dce68f121c45d7b9daba4231fc6fbc |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2398-502X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Wellcome |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Wellcome Open Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-e2dce68f121c45d7b9daba4231fc6fbc2025-02-08T01:00:01ZengWellcomeWellcome Open Research2398-502X2025-02-01926241Study protocol for an observational cohort study of heat stress impacts in pregnancy in The Gambia, West Africa [version 2; peer review: 1 approved, 2 approved with reservations]Jane E Hirst0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0176-2651Ana Bonell1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5981-762XAbdul Sesay2Leonidas G. Ioannou3Bubacarr Bah4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3318-6668Kris A. Murray5Andy Haines6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8053-4605Sophie E. Moore7https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1650-3238David Jeffries8Neil S Maxwell9Ana Vicero-Cabrera10Apolline Saucy11https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6432-2098Cally Tan12Emmanuel Okoh13https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8756-5942Dorothy Watters14Bakary Sonko15https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3822-2680Williams Oluwatosin Adefila16https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1928-4862Yahaya Idris17https://orcid.org/0009-0008-0228-1017Mam Leigh-Nabou18Jarra Manneh19Andreas Flouris20Sainabou Bojang21Amanda N Sferruzzi-Perri22Andrew Prentice23The George Institute for Global Health UK, Imperial College London, London, UK, Oxford, England, UKMedical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, Banjul, The GambiaMedical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, Banjul, The GambiaDepartment of Physical Education and Sport Science, FAME laboratory, Thessaly, GreeceMedical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, Banjul, The GambiaMedical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, Banjul, The GambiaCentre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London, England, UKMedical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, Banjul, The GambiaMedical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, Banjul, The GambiaEnvironmental Extremes Laboratory, University of Brighton, Brighton, England, UKInstitute of Social and Preventative Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, SwitzerlandUniversity of Bern Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, Bern, Canton of Bern, SwitzerlandCentre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London, England, UKMedical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, Banjul, The GambiaMedical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, Banjul, The GambiaMedical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, Banjul, The GambiaMedical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, Banjul, The GambiaMedical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, Banjul, The GambiaMedical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, Banjul, The GambiaMedical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, Banjul, The GambiaDepartment of Physical Education and Sport Science, FAME laboratory, Thessaly, GreeceMedical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, Banjul, The GambiaCentre for Trophoblast Research, University of Cambridge Department of Physiology Development and Neuroscience, Cambridge, England, UKMedical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, Banjul, The GambiaClimate change has resulted in an increase in heat exposure globally. There is strong evidence that this increased heat stress is associated with poor maternal and fetal outcomes, especially in vulnerable populations. However, there remains poor understanding of the biological pathways and mechanisms involved in the impact of heat in pregnancy. This observational cohort study of 764 pregnant participants based in sub-Saharan Africa, a geographical region at risk of extreme heat events, aims to evaluate the physiological and biochemical changes that occur in pregnancy due to heat stress. The key objectives of the study are to 1) map exposure to heat stress in the cohort and understand what environmental, social and community factors increase the risk of extreme heat exposure; 2) assess the impact of heat stress on maternal health, e.g. heat strain, subjective psychological well-being, sleep and activity level; 3) evaluate how heat stress impacts placenta structure and function; 4) determine how chronic heat exposure impacts birth outcomes; and 5) explore the epigenetic changes in the placenta and infant by heat stress exposure per trimester. Pregnant women will be recruited from two distinct regions in The Gambia to exploit the naturally occurring heat gradient across the country. Microclimate mapping of the area of recruitment will give detailed exposure measurements. Participants will be asked to wear a watch-style device at 28- and 35-weeks gestational age to evaluate maternal heart rate, activity and sleep. At the end of the week, an ultrasound scan will be performed to evaluate fetal size and placental blood flow. At delivery, birth outcomes will be recorded and maternal, placental and cord samples taken for epigenetic, biochemical and histological evaluation. Evaluation of neuro-behaviour and final infant samples will be taken at 1 month following birth.https://wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/9-624/v2heat heat stress pregnancy fetal infant birth outcomeseng |
| spellingShingle | Jane E Hirst Ana Bonell Abdul Sesay Leonidas G. Ioannou Bubacarr Bah Kris A. Murray Andy Haines Sophie E. Moore David Jeffries Neil S Maxwell Ana Vicero-Cabrera Apolline Saucy Cally Tan Emmanuel Okoh Dorothy Watters Bakary Sonko Williams Oluwatosin Adefila Yahaya Idris Mam Leigh-Nabou Jarra Manneh Andreas Flouris Sainabou Bojang Amanda N Sferruzzi-Perri Andrew Prentice Study protocol for an observational cohort study of heat stress impacts in pregnancy in The Gambia, West Africa [version 2; peer review: 1 approved, 2 approved with reservations] Wellcome Open Research heat heat stress pregnancy fetal infant birth outcomes eng |
| title | Study protocol for an observational cohort study of heat stress impacts in pregnancy in The Gambia, West Africa [version 2; peer review: 1 approved, 2 approved with reservations] |
| title_full | Study protocol for an observational cohort study of heat stress impacts in pregnancy in The Gambia, West Africa [version 2; peer review: 1 approved, 2 approved with reservations] |
| title_fullStr | Study protocol for an observational cohort study of heat stress impacts in pregnancy in The Gambia, West Africa [version 2; peer review: 1 approved, 2 approved with reservations] |
| title_full_unstemmed | Study protocol for an observational cohort study of heat stress impacts in pregnancy in The Gambia, West Africa [version 2; peer review: 1 approved, 2 approved with reservations] |
| title_short | Study protocol for an observational cohort study of heat stress impacts in pregnancy in The Gambia, West Africa [version 2; peer review: 1 approved, 2 approved with reservations] |
| title_sort | study protocol for an observational cohort study of heat stress impacts in pregnancy in the gambia west africa version 2 peer review 1 approved 2 approved with reservations |
| topic | heat heat stress pregnancy fetal infant birth outcomes eng |
| url | https://wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/9-624/v2 |
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