Scientific Presentations

SeminarTalks­@DCD

Department of Digital and Computational Demography
Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR), Rostock, Germany, October 21, 2026

11:00 AM: Talk with Bruno Lankoandé & Yacouba Compaoré - Forced Migration and Health in the Sahel of Burkina Faso: A Longitudinal Study of Child Health, Mortality and Fertility

Nora Federici Conference Room (room 400)

Abstract

Forced migration is a major demographic and public health challenge in the Sahel, yet its effects on health remain poorly understood, partly because of the lack of longitudinal data covering the different stages of the migration process. This study aims to examine the effects of forced migration on child health, mortality and fertility in the Sahel region of Burkina Faso. Approximately 1,750 women of reproductive age will be followed across five population groups: displaced populations living in camps, displaced populations resettled in communities, populations remaining at the place of origin, host communities, and households hosting displaced persons. A retrospective mobile phone survey will be complemented by four longitudinal follow-up waves to capture changes in living arrangements and health outcomes over time. Longitudinal and causal inference methods will be used to investigate selection, disruption and adaptation mechanisms, as well as potential effects of forced migration on host populations.

About

Bruno Lankoandé holds a PhD in Demography from UCLouvain, Belgium. He is currently a lecturer and researcher at the Institute for Population Sciences (ISSP), Joseph Ki-Zerbo University (UJKZ), and Head of the Ouagadougou Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS). His research focuses on four main areas: (1) measuring population health and mortality in settings characterized by weak statistical systems; (2) developing innovative data collection and analysis methods, particularly in humanitarian crisis settings; (3) examining the relationships between mobility, migration, and health; and (4) investigating social and spatial inequalities in health and mortality in low- and middle-income countries.

Yacouba Compaoré holds a PhD in Demography from UCLouvain, Belgium. He is a Staff Research Scientist at the National Center for Scientific and Technological Research (CNRST), Institute of Health Sciences Research (IRSS), in Burkina Faso. His research lies at the intersection of population dynamics and health, with a particular focus on family dynamics and child health, migration and health, and the effects of climate and environmental conditions on population health, including heat exposure and heat-related health risks. His work combines demographic methods, longitudinal population data, household surveys, and Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems (HDSS) to examine population health and social inequalities in low- and middle-income countries, with a particular focus on West Africa.