Diet and disease: Examining the seasonal determinants of children’s health in Senegal

Abstract

Seasonal changes in food availability and disease incidence put pressure on children’s health in Sub-Sahara Africa. Using year-round survey data from Senegal, we examine how seasonality in key health inputs (dietary diversity, diarrhea, and fever) helps predict seasonality in children’s health (weight-for-height z-score). We first parameterize seasonal variation in health and health inputs using second-order trigonometric polynomials, then decompose the seasonal curve of children’s health into component parts explained by seasonality in each health input. We find that lagged seasonality in disease incidence predicts seasonality in child health, while seasonality in dietary diversity does not — likely because diets are poor in Senegal even during the most food-plentiful part of the year. We also observe noticeable heterogeneity in the way these health inputs predict children’s health across different wealth levels and regions.