Study links prolonged heat exposure during pregnancy to adverse birth outcomes
A new study analyzing data from the National Family Health Survey links prolonged extreme heat exposure during pregnancy to higher risks of preterm birth, low birth weight, and stillbirths in India. The research emphasizes that heat stress impacts vary significantly depending on the trimester of pregnancy.
Why it matters
Provides critical public health data on how climate change and extreme weather patterns directly affect maternal and infant health outcomes.
A nationwide analysis of data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) quantifies the link between prolonged exposure to extreme heat during pregnancy and adverse birth outcomes in India. It was associated with a measurable increase in the risk of low birthweight, preterm birth and stillbirths among the mothers, and was tied to the trimester during which exposure occurred.
The paper ‘Effect of extreme heat stress on adverse pregnancy outcomes in India’, analysed 209,266 births recorded between 2015 and 2020, and matched each birth to local heat conditions during the pregnancy. It used nationally representative NFHS-5 data (2019–21) linked to high-resolution heat exposure estimates (India Heat Index) for 2015–20 across 707 districts. It uses ‘consecutive sweltering days’ instead of average temperature.
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