Changes in resource insecurity, sexual and mental health among young women after Kenya's 2024 heavy rains and floods.

OBJECTIVES

Kenya's 2024 heavy rains and flooding resulted in agricultural devastation and displacement. We assessed resource insecurity, sexual health, and mental health differences across two time points, during this heavy rain/flooding and at 6-month follow-up under dry conditions, among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Kenya.

METHODS

We conducted surveys at Time 1 (T1) (heavy rains/flooding, June 2024) and Time 2 (T2) (dry conditions, November 2024) with a non-random sample of AGYW aged 16-24 years in Nairobi and Kisumu. We conducted longitudinal analyses using generalized estimating equations to assess differences over time in resource insecurities (food, water, sanitation, menstruation), sexual health (transactional sex, sexual relationship power (SRP), condom use self-efficacy (CUSE)), and mental health (depression, eco-anxiety), adjusting for sociodemographics and baseline scores, and tested motherhood and traumatic exposure severity as moderators.

RESULTS

Among 586 participants (mean age 20.13 (SD 2.5) years) at follow-up (98.2% retention) vs baseline across sites we found significant resource insecurity reductions (food, sanitation), sexual health improvements (reduced transactional sex, increased SRP), and reduced eco-anxiety. Depression and CUSE changes varied across sites.

CONCLUSION

Participants reported differences over time in resource insecurity and sexual and mental health. The findings signal the importance of weather-informed health research with AGYW in Nairobi and Kisumu.