The interplay between population dynamics and the environment has long interested demographers. Although studies have explored how climate patterns affect macrolevel population processes, such as mortality and migration, little is known about their impact on individual-level demographic behaviors. This study fills this research gap by examining the linkages between exposure to drought and women's fertility preferences and contraceptive behaviors in sub-Saharan Africa. We analyze data from the Demographic and Health Surveys Program, focusing on 17 countries in East, Southern, and West Africa. We investigate whether women's recent exposure to drought episodes in their community affects their fertility preferences and modern contraceptive use. Generally, the findings show that drought is relevant to understanding women's fertility preferences and behaviors in the vast majority of countries; however, drought exposure has variable impacts. Moreover, whereas in some countries, drought exposure encourages contraceptive behaviors that align with women's preferences, in select countries it is associated with behavior that is misaligned with women's stated preferences. Overall, the study emphasizes the importance of examining climate events as complex forces that have localized meanings for demographic outcomes.

中文翻译：

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干旱暴露、生育偏好和避孕行为之间的关系：一项多国研究

人口动态与环境之间的相互作用长期以来一直引起人口统计学家的兴趣。尽管研究探讨了气候模式如何影响宏观人口过程，例如死亡率和移民，但人们对其对个人人口行为的影响知之甚少。这项研究通过研究撒哈拉以南非洲地区干旱暴露与妇女生育偏好和避孕行为之间的联系，填补了这一研究空白。我们分析了人口和健康调查计划的数据，重点关注东非、南部和西非的 17 个国家。我们调查了妇女最近在社区遭遇的干旱事件是否影响了她们的生育偏好和现代避孕药具的使用。总体而言，研究结果表明，干旱与了解绝大​​多数国家妇女的生育偏好和行为有关；然而，干旱会产生不同的影响。此外，虽然在一些国家，干旱暴露鼓励符合妇女偏好的避孕行为，但在某些国家，它与不符合妇女既定偏好的行为有关。总体而言，该研究强调了将气候事件视为对人口结果具有局部意义的复杂力量的重要性。