Short communication: The global health community needs to start planning for the impact of the climate crisis on maternal and newborn health

Wheeler, Skye; Ateva, Elena; Churchill, Robyn; Pleuss, Elizabeth; McCallon, Betsy; Storey, Andrew; Akram, Muhammad Ihatsham; Carpio, Maria Teresa; Pillay, Yogan; Fasawe, Olufunke

doi:10.1016/j.joclim.2022.100131

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Recent calls for action have highlighted a lack of understanding of how maternal health will be impacted by climate change. 39 40 As evidenced by this review, there is limited research analysing the impact of EWE on maternal health in low-income settings. Regarding maternal health, more research in low-income settings needs to focus on the impact of EWE on miscarriages, infectious diseases, haemorrhages, difficult labour and postpartum depression.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Extreme weather events and maternal health in low-income and middle-income countries: a scoping review

Pappas,

Kovats,

Ranganathan

2024

BMJ Open

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BackgroundDespite global efforts to improve maternal health and healthcare, women throughout the world endure poor health during pregnancy. Extreme weather events (EWE) disrupt infrastructure and access to medical services, however little is known about their impact on the health of women during pregnancy in resource-poor settings.ObjectivesThis review aims to examine the current literature on the impact of EWE on maternal health to identify the pathways between EWE and maternal health in low-income and middle-income countries to identify gaps.Eligibility criteriaStudies were eligible for inclusion if they were published before 15 December 2022 and the population of the studies included pregnant and postpartum women (defined at up to 6 weeks postpartum) who were living in low-income and middle-income countries. The exposure of the included study must be related to EWE and the result to maternal health outcomes.Sources of evidenceWe searched the literature using five databases, Medline, Global Health, Embase, Web of Science and CINAHL in December 2022. We assessed the results using predetermined criteria that defined the scope of the population, exposures and outcomes. In total, 15 studies were included.Charting methodsWe identified studies that fit the criteria and extracted key themes. We extracted population demographics and sampling methodologies, assessed the quality of the studies and conducted a narrative synthesis to summarise the key findings.ResultsFifteen studies met the inclusion criteria. The quantitative studies (n=4) and qualitative (n=11) demonstrated an association between EWE and malnutrition, mental health, mortality and access to maternal health services.ConclusionEWE negatively impact maternal health through various mechanisms including access to services, stress and mortality. The results have demonstrated concerning effects, but there is also limited evidence surrounding these broad topics in low-resource settings. Research is necessary to determine the mechanisms by which EWE affect maternal health.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42022352915.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Extreme weather events and maternal health in low-income and middle-income countries: a scoping review

Pappas,

Kovats,

Ranganathan

2024

BMJ Open

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“…Similarly, women's biology makes them more prone towards many infections and diseases than men. Wheeler, et al [24] stated diseases like malaria, dengue and zika are more harmful for pregnant women than non-pregnant women and also changing climate reduce availability of staple food and crop yield impacting nutrition of pregnant women.…”

Section: Vulnerability Relating To Food and Nutritionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate Change and Women Health Vulnerabilities: Towards Mitigation and Response

Sahoo

2024

AJESS

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Climate change affects all genders in myriad ways and causes catastrophic health hazards. While no one is safe from this unfolding risks, women are already disadvantaged and become most affected by climate change. Poor air quality, contaminated water, food insecurity, spread of vector borne diseases, disruption of sanitation and rising temperature etc. have overwhelming negative health impacts on women, especially on the reproductive health. Furthermore, climate policies in India lack gender sensitivity because of low awareness making women health more vulnerable. With this backdrop, the current paper has identified key areas of vulnerability among females due to their biology and the existing socio-cultural factors. In addition to the existing issues women are less likely to have accessibility of the resources to enjoy their fundamental health rights. There fore the current paper discuses better strategies for mitigation and response to climate change with the active participation of women, families and the whole community. After looking at various findings the paper concludes the need of the gender sensitive approach in the process of mitigation and response.

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“…Climate change related events are already affecting health outcomes. Midwifery is a necessary voice to help identify and implement new solutions through interprofessional engagement in improving health systems and in our individual provision of care every day 3 …”

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confidence: 99%

“…Midwifery is a necessary voice to help identify and implement new solutions through interprofessional engagement in improving health systems and in our individual provision of care every day. 3 The UN International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported that greenhouse gases have already caused 1.1°C (34°F) in global warming as well as "widespread adverse impacts and related losses and damages to nature and people" 4(p 17) and that "vulnerable communities who have historically contributed the least to current climate change are disproportionately affected." 4 (p 6) IPCC warned that steep cuts must be made quickly or harms will increase with fewer opportunities to adapt.…”

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confidence: 99%

The Heat is On: Imperative for Midwifery Engagement in Climate Change

Churchill¹,

Avery²

2023

J Midwife Womens Health

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Short communication: The global health community needs to start planning for the impact of the climate crisis on maternal and newborn health

Cited by 5 publications

References 5 publications

Extreme weather events and maternal health in low-income and middle-income countries: a scoping review

Extreme weather events and maternal health in low-income and middle-income countries: a scoping review

Climate Change and Women Health Vulnerabilities: Towards Mitigation and Response

The Heat is On: Imperative for Midwifery Engagement in Climate Change

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