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<p>Extreme weather variations, chronic food insecurity, and lack of coping mechanisms place South Asian children at a high risk of climate-related disasters. This paper estimates the effect of climate anomalies on birth and early childhood health parameters by combining high-resolution climate data with child anthropometry and demographic data from four South Asian countries (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal). We find temperature and precipitation anomalies to be strong negative predictors of child health outcomes with effects observed both during the in-utero period and extending into the first two years of life. A one standard deviation increase in temperature during the first year of life decreases the weight-for-age z-score (WAZ) by 0.2 standard deviations, while the effect on weight-for-height z-score (WHZ) is about 75% larger in magnitude, decreasing WHZ by 0.35 standard deviations. Similarly, a one standard deviation increase in prenatal precipitation is associated with a decrease of 83&#xa0;g in birth weight. We further expand on our findings by looking at how these effects differ for groups varying in economic, gender, and social vulnerabilities and uncover stark differences.</p>

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Climate anomalies and child health outcomes in the South Asian region

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年11月15日

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  • Prayash P. Chalise,
  • Genti Kostandini,
  • Travis A. Smith

摘要

Extreme weather variations, chronic food insecurity, and lack of coping mechanisms place South Asian children at a high risk of climate-related disasters. This paper estimates the effect of climate anomalies on birth and early childhood health parameters by combining high-resolution climate data with child anthropometry and demographic data from four South Asian countries (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal). We find temperature and precipitation anomalies to be strong negative predictors of child health outcomes with effects observed both during the in-utero period and extending into the first two years of life. A one standard deviation increase in temperature during the first year of life decreases the weight-for-age z-score (WAZ) by 0.2 standard deviations, while the effect on weight-for-height z-score (WHZ) is about 75% larger in magnitude, decreasing WHZ by 0.35 standard deviations. Similarly, a one standard deviation increase in prenatal precipitation is associated with a decrease of 83 g in birth weight. We further expand on our findings by looking at how these effects differ for groups varying in economic, gender, and social vulnerabilities and uncover stark differences.