Breastfeeding and Climate Change: Overlapping Vulnerabilities and Integrating Responses

Zadkovic, Sandra; Lombardo, Nick; Cole, Donald C.

doi:10.1177/0890334420920223

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 29 publications

(34 reference statements)

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“…In the context of climate change, women who are breastfeeding share similar vulnerabilities to pregnant women (Zadkovic et al, 2021). Food insecurities and unsafe water supplies contribute to the need for exclusive breastfeeding.…”

Section: A Barrier To Health Maintenance and Promotionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate and Environmental Change

Chalupka

Latter

Trombley

2023

McN: The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing

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Climate and environmental changes have been described as the biggest global health threat of the 21st century, with the potential to cause immediate harm in early life with important lifelong effects, and important consequences for future generations. Pregnant women and children are increasingly being recognized as vulnerable populations in the context of climate change. The effects can be direct or indirect through heat stress, extreme weather events, and air pollution, potentially affecting both the immediate and long-term health of pregnant women and newborns through a broad range of mechanisms. Climate and environmental changes have wide-ranging effects on a woman's reproductive life including sexual maturation and fertility, pregnancy outcomes, lactation, breastfeeding, and menopause. A comprehensive overview of these impacts is presented as well as opportunities for interventions for nurses practicing in perinatal, neonatal, midwifery, and pediatric specialties.

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Section: A Barrier To Health Maintenance and Promotionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate and Environmental Change

Chalupka

Latter

Trombley

2023

McN: The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing

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“…Pregnant people and infants, particularly those of color and those living in low-income communities globally, are among the populations most vulnerable to the adverse affects of the climate crisis (Bekkar et al, 2020; Kuehn & McCormick, 2017; Parry et al, 2007; United Nations Climate Change, 2022). Ecological and social determinants of health determine 80% of patient outcomes and have historical grounding in colonialism, imperialism, capitalism, and other interlocking systems of oppression within political ecology, which views human practices—including breastfeeding and climate factors—as inextricably tied together in a larger economic-social-political system (Reno & Hyder, 2018; Zadkovic et al, 2021).…”

Section: Multidimensional Climate Influences and Human Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Climate Crisis and Breastfeeding: Opportunities for Resilience

Cerceo,

Saxer,

Grossman

et al. 2023

J Hum Lact

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The climate crisis is an emerging global challenge that poses potential risks to breastfeeding practices and outcomes. There are multifaceted effects of climate change affecting the breastfeeding dyad across environmental, societal, and human health dimensions. Breastfeeding support in the face of climate change will require solutions at the structural level—healthcare, community, and workplace settings—and at the mother-infant dyad level. Breastfeeding can additionally be an adaptive response to crisis situations and can mitigate some of the environmental challenges associated with climate change. Despite the undeniable significance of climate change on breastfeeding (and vice versa), our perspective as experts in the field is that this topic has not been systematically addressed. Although we highlight some of the challenges, potential solutions, and co-benefits of breastfeeding in the context of climate change, there are numerous issues that could be further explored and necessitate additional preparedness planning.

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“…Women, infants, and children are strongly vulnerable to climate change for several reasons. Climate change events create conditions that make it difficult for infants to breastfeed in both low-and highincome settings (Grubesic & Durbin, 2022;Zadkovic;Lombardo, and Cole, 2021). Given how crucial breastfeeding is for child health and development it is imperative that it is protected and supported during climate-related events (Cappelli et al, 2021;Zadkovic;Lombardo, and Cole, 2021).…”

Section: E D I T O R I a L Maternal And Child Nutrition Must Be At Th...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Climate change events create conditions that make it difficult for infants to breastfeed in both low-and highincome settings (Grubesic & Durbin, 2022;Zadkovic;Lombardo, and Cole, 2021). Given how crucial breastfeeding is for child health and development it is imperative that it is protected and supported during climate-related events (Cappelli et al, 2021;Zadkovic;Lombardo, and Cole, 2021). Maternal, fetal, neonatal and child health are being disproportionately affected from the increasingly frequent outbreaks of infectious diseases related to climate change (Blakstad & Smith, 2020).…”

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confidence: 99%

Maternal and child nutrition must be at the heart of the climate change agendas

Pérez‐Escamilla

Morán

2022

Maternal & Child Nutrition

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and equitable agriculture practices (Fanzo & Downs, 2021) that prioritize biodiversity.Climate change repercussions have arrived and are here to stay.Strategies to mitigate its consequences need to place front and center the need to protect the food security and nutrition of women, infants, and young children. An equity lens is needed as climate change is exacerbating existing inequities by having a disproportionate impact in lower income countries (responsible for less than 4% of climate changecausing greenhouse gases; CARE International, 2020), and among women and the poorest population segments within countries (Blakstad & Smith, 2020;Cappelli et al., 2021). Moving forward it must be acknowledged that the current Sustainable Development Goals do not acknowledge the increased risk that climate change represents for maternal, newborn, and child health and nutrition, and that there is a need to address these risks through equitable decisive actions. It is our hope that the food security and wellbeing of women, children, and their families in the context of climate change gets strongly prioritized at the upcoming 27 th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) in Egypt.

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Breastfeeding and Climate Change: Overlapping Vulnerabilities and Integrating Responses

Cited by 7 publications

References 29 publications

Climate and Environmental Change

Climate and Environmental Change

The Climate Crisis and Breastfeeding: Opportunities for Resilience

Maternal and child nutrition must be at the heart of the climate change agendas

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