Making pastoralists count: Geospatial methods for the health surveillance of nomadic populations

23Citations
Citations of this article
127Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

Abstract

Nomadic pastoralists are among the world’s hardest-to-reach and least served populations. Pastoralist communities are difficult to capture in household surveys because of factors including their high degree of mobility over remote terrain, fluid domestic arrangements, and cultural barriers. Most surveys use census-based sampling frames which do not accurately capture the demographic and health parameters of nomadic populations. As a result, pastoralists are “invisible” in population data such as the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS). By combining remote sensing and geospatial analysis, we developed a sampling strategy designed to capture the current distribution of nomadic populations. We then implemented this sampling frame to survey a population of mobile pastoralists in southwest Ethiopia, focusing on maternal and child health (MCH) indicators. Using standardized instruments from DHS questionnaires, we draw comparisons with regional and national data finding disparities with DHS data in core MCH indicators, including vaccination coverage, skilled birth attendance, and nutritional status. Our field validation demonstrates that this method is a logistically feasible alternative to conventional sampling frames and may be used at the population level. Geospatial sampling methods provide cost-affordable and logistically feasible strategies for sampling mobile populations, a crucial first step toward reaching these groups with health services.

References Powered by Scopus

This article is free to access.

Warfare and reproductive success in a tribal population

100Citations
182Readers

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Wild, H., Glowacki, L., Maples, S., Mejía-Guevara, I., Krystosik, A., Bonds, M. H., … Barry, M. (2019). Making pastoralists count: Geospatial methods for the health surveillance of nomadic populations. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 101(3), 661–669. https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.18-1009

Readers over time

‘19‘20‘21‘22‘23‘2409182736

Readers' Seniority

Tooltip

PhD / Post grad / Masters / Doc 38

60%

Researcher 20

32%

Lecturer / Post doc 4

6%

Professor / Associate Prof. 1

2%

Readers' Discipline

Tooltip

Medicine and Dentistry 21

40%

Social Sciences 17

32%

Nursing and Health Professions 12

23%

Engineering 3

6%

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free
0