New Delhi, Jul 20 (PTI) Sustained spells of extreme heat are associated with a measurable increase in the risk of low birth weight, pre-term birth and stillbirth, with the effect depending on when in the pregnancy the heat occurred, according to a new study.
For example, in the case of low birth weight, it was found that each additional consecutive sweltering day during pregnancy increases the odds by about 1 per cent after accounting for other factors.
The study, titled “Effect of extreme heat stress on adverse pregnancy outcomes in India”, was published in the “Environmental Research Communications” journal and released on Monday.
For their analysis, the authors used India’s National Family Health Survey (NFHS) data and examined 2,09,266 births recorded between 2015 and 2020. They then matched each birth to local heat conditions across the mother’s pregnancy.
In a statement, Vineetha Vincent, the study’s lead author and researcher at the University of Queensland (Australia), said, “Heat is not a background condition during pregnancy. Our data show that each additional day of extreme heat a mother endures nudges up the risk to her baby, and that risk lands hardest on women who are already vulnerable.” “As heatwaves lengthen, protecting pregnant women has to be part of how India plans for a warmer climate,” she added.
The study has found that exposure to extreme heat in the first trimester is linked to a higher risk of pre-term birth.
Heat in the second trimester is associated with lower birth weight. For stillbirth, the risk appears highest with third-trimester exposure, though the estimate is less certain, according to the study.
Mothers with a low body mass index (below 18.5) face a notably higher risk of low birth weight from heat exposure than mothers of normal weight.
Across India’s climate zones, women living in mountainous regions are the most affected by prolonged heat extremes, probably because they are less acclimatised to such conditions, the study says.
Sagnik Dey, co-author and professor at the IIT-Delhi, said in a statement, “The mothers most exposed to extreme heat are often those with the fewest resources to cope with it: the poorest, the least educated, the under-nourished. Any adaptation response that ignores this social gradient will miss the women who need protection most.” PTI ALC RC
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