SPRINT-Sen is an international, interdisciplinary research project in social sciences and public health. It will explore the consequences of extreme temperatures on maternal and child health and implement interventions aimed at reducing these impacts in Senegal. Pregnant women and young children are two particularly vulnerable groups, which could compromise efforts to reduce maternal and infant mortality. Furthermore, extreme temperatures increase morbidity and mortality, with higher rates of hospitalisation and use of emergency services.

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Available data increasingly show that extreme temperatures also affect women's mental health and alter their behaviour. Taking a preventive approach, our project will set up a prospective micro-monitoring system for extreme temperatures at the household and health centre levels in order to: i) measure inequalities and ii) understand the processes of resilience and adaptation according to these inequalities.

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Interventions to address the consequences of extreme temperatures and reduce related inequalities will be co-designed and evaluated. They will target women and children under 12 months of age, with the aim of strengthening exclusive breastfeeding practices during periods of high heat and reducing the impacts on mental health (stress, anxiety, conflicts). Through knowledge transfer, the research findings will be used to formulate operational recommendations to inform local and national decision-making in response to these impacts.