Climate change driving sexual and reproductive health risks among young adolescents in Kenya

Climate change and extreme weather events are threatening the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) of young adolescents in Kenya, according to a new study published earlier this month in BMJ Global Health. The study reveals that food, water, and sanitation insecurities are placing young adolescents aged 10–14, especially girls, at increased risk of school dropout, transactional sex, gender-based violence, and early pregnancy.

“Climate change isn’t just an environmental issue, it’s an urgent public health emergency for young adolescents,” says lead author Dr. Carmen Logie, Professor at the University of Toronto’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work (FIFSW) and Canada Research Chair in Global Health Equity and Social Justice with Marginalized Populations.

“In our study, we heard stories from young adolescents and community elders describing how drought, floods, and resource shortages are pushing children to drop out of school or exchange sex for food, water, or menstrual products.”

The study involved 297 participants, including 119 elders and 178 young adolescents across six climate-affected regions in Kenya: Mathare, Kisumu, Isiolo, Naivasha, Kilifi, and Kalobeyei Refugee Settlement. Researchers from the University of Toronto collaborated with two Kenyan community-based organizations, the Center for the Study of Adolescence and Elim Trust. Using focus groups, walk-along interviews, and participatory mapping workshops, the study examined how climate change-induced resource insecurities are shaping SRH risks among youth.

“Girls told us about the shame of not having clean clothes or menstrual supplies, and how it led them to stay home from school or enter exploitative relationships just to meet basic needs,” says co-author Aryssa Hasham, Research Officer at FIFSW. “These are not isolated incidents. They’re part of broader, gendered systems of vulnerability and disadvantage that have been exacerbated by climate change.”

The study identified multiple direct and indirect pathways linking extreme weather events to poor SRH outcomes. Droughts and floods disrupted food systems, contributing to school dropout, street involvement and homelessness, and sexual exploitation.

Water shortages were linked to educational disruptions and exposed girls to harassment and violence at collection sites. Lack of access to safe sanitation contributed to menstruation-related school absences and coercive sexual encounters in exchange for menstrual supplies.

The authors call for climate-informed SRH interventions tailored to the realities of young adolescents in low-resource, high-risk settings. Their findings offer a roadmap for policymakers, NGOs, and health systems working at the intersection of environmental justice and adolescent health.

“We must act quickly to develop climate-informed, adolescent-centered, and gender-transformative programs,” says co-author Dr. Julia Kagunda, Director of Elim Trust. “These programs must address the root causes of insecurity to protect young people’s health and futures.”