Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42614764›Full record

ArticleGlobal environmental change : human and policy dimensions2026

Historic drought in northern Kenya shifts diet and mobility away from traditional pastoralism as resource security and nutrition falter.

Asher Y Rosinger, Matthew Douglass, Amanda McGrosky, Kedir Teji Roba, Benjamin Davies, Natalie Meriwether, Alfredo J Rojas, Leslie Ford, Hannah Jacobson, Faith Wambua and 17 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Global environmental change : human and policy dimensions, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Increased Vulnerability to Dehydration Due to Heat Stress and Drought Across Reproductive States for Pastoralist Women in Northern Kenya.American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council · 2026
    Article
  2. Birth Weight in the Daasanach Community of Northern Kenya and the Effect of Multiparity.American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

27 authors.

Asher Y RosingerDepartment of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-9587-1447
Matthew DouglassCollege of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and Agricultural Research Division, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA.
Amanda McGroskyDepartment of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
Kedir Teji RobaDepartment of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
Benjamin DaviesDepartment of Environmental Studies, Tufts University, Sommerville, MA, USA.
Natalie MeriwetherDepartment of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
Alfredo J RojasDepartment of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
Leslie FordDepartment of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
Hannah JacobsonDepartment of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston IL USA.
Faith WambuaDepartment of Earth Sciences, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya.
Elena HinzDepartment of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
Srishti SadhirDepartment of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
Anna TavorminaDepartment of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
Lilian BakerDepartment of Anthropology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
Alison SherwoodDepartment of Environmental Studies, Tufts University, Sommerville, MA, USA.
Suha ArshadDepartment of Anthropology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
Nicole BobbieDepartment of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
Carey MusumeciDepartment of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
Kiera PapaDepartment of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
Zoë FarrarDepartment of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
Madeleine ToddDepartment of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
Natalie KittsDepartment of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
Maria BossertColumbian College of Arts and Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
David R BraunCenter for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.
Rosemary NzunzaCenter for Virus Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Nairobi, Kenya.
Emmanuel NdiemaDepartment of Earth Sciences, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya.
Herman PontzerDepartment of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.

Funding

The Population Research Institute: Development CoreP2CHD041025 · NICHD · PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE · PI Sarah Damaske · 2016 to 2026
$9.0M
Drinking water salinity in a hot-dry environment: Hydration, kidney function, and blood pressureR01ES035402 · NIEHS · PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE · PI Asher Y. Rosinger · 2024 to 2026
$2.1M
NICHD NIH HHS P2C HD041025NIEHS NIH HHS R01 ES035402
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The Greater Horn of Africa suffered the worst drought in >40 years between late 2020 and early 2023. Using a prospective, interdisciplinary unbalanced panel study between 2019-2024 among Daasanach pastoralists in northern Kenya, we measured the effects of and recovery from this drought in relation to experiential and objective measures. We examined water and food insecurity, coping and dietary strategies, and nutritional status among 515 adults and 384 children. Livestock herds dropped precipitously with little recovery by 2024. Individuals' consideration of moving due to water problems alongside experiential water and food insecurity scores increased substantially during the drought indicating severe distress but returned to pre-drought levels by 2024. The drought led to lower mobility, which continued post-drought for Daasanach and their remaining animals, indicating increased sedentarization. Milk intake declined drastically but rebounded by 2024. In contrast, meat intake declined and stayed lower a year post-drought, while consumption of previously stigmatized fish increased. As the drought progressed, nutritional status worsened. Children who consumed milk had significantly better nutritional status over time. Compared to men, women experienced greater levels of water and food insecurity and greater declines in adiposity at the drought's peak. Lower socio-economic standing was associated with worse outcomes except nutritional status over time. Overall, experiential measures of water and food insecurity recovered faster than livestock and nutrition, while shifts in livelihood and dietary strategies persisted post-drought. Policymakers should use these findings to inform drought mitigation plans as diversification of diet and livelihoods may help ameliorate negative impacts.

Indexed as

Droughtfood insecuritynutritionpastoralismwater insecurity

Identifiers

PMID42614764
PMCPMC13484248

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.