What to Expect When It Gets Hotter

Abstract

We use temperature variation within narrowly defined geographic and demographic cells to show that exposure to extreme temperature increases the risk of maternal hospitalization during pregnancy. This effect is driven by emergency hospitalizations for various pregnancy complications, suggesting that it represents a deterioration in underlying maternal health rather than a change in women's ability to access health care. The effect is larger for black women than for women of other races, suggesting that without significant adaptation, projected increases in extreme temperatures over the next century may further exacerbate racial disparities in maternal health.

Protocol of an individual participant data meta-analysis to quantify the impact of high ambient temperatures on maternal and child health in Africa (HE2AT IPD)

“…32 The consequences also extend to the larger health systems by increasing the burden on already stretched health resources due to increased rates of caesarean sections, 33 hospitalisation, 34 emergency department visits, 35 36 and outpatient and inpatient health facility visits. [37][38][39] Research gaps Research on heat and health has been mostly restricted to stand-alone individual studies with relatively small sample sizes, poor-quality data from household surveys or healthcare facilities, considerable variation in research methodology, and limited geographical and temporal coverage. 13 19 Most studies have insufficient power to answer questions about which specific aspects of heat exposures (eg, timing and duration), which temperature patterns/thresholds (eg, night-time or day-time, or averages) are most harmful for different clinical conditions, and in which climate zones, settings, and subgroups.…”

“…Several studies have shown that exposure to heat in utero negatively affects health throughout the life course, such as increased risks of stunting 32. The consequences also extend to the larger health systems by increasing the burden on already stretched health resources due to increased rates of caesarean sections,33 hospitalisation,34 emergency department visits,35 36 and outpatient and inpatient health facility visits 37–39…”

“… 32 The consequences also extend to the larger health systems by increasing the burden on already stretched health resources due to increased rates of caesarean sections, 33 hospitalisation, 34 emergency department visits, 35 36 and outpatient and inpatient health facility visits. 37–39 …”

Early Life Exposures and Social Stratification

“…In complement to scholarship on acute disaster events, scholars have also studied the effects of enduring changes in weather. The most consistent evidence on harmful health effects emerges from exposure to extreme heat during pregnancy [86,87], which operates through multiple mechanisms, including maternal heat stress, and in lower-income contexts, nutritional deprivation and infectious disease exposure [88].…”