ReviewInternational journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics2023
Increasing global temperatures threaten gains in maternal and newborn health in Africa: A review of impacts and an adaptation framework.
Review in International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
34 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 69 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review and meta-analysis on heat thresholds for maternal health and birth outcomes.Nature communications · 2026Pooled it
- Climate change and gendered vulnerability: A systematic review of women's health.Women's health (London, England)Pooled it
- Climate change adaptation and mitigation in African health systems: a scoping review of research and policy translation.BMJ open · 2026Article
- Association between first trimester ambient temperature and the risk of gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia: Insights from the PRECISE study cohort in The Gambia, Kenya and Mozambique.Research square · 2026Article
- Heat Stress and Placental Abruption: A Space-Time Stratified Case-Crossover Study.BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology · 2026Article
- Safeguarding maternal health against extreme heat in India: A policy analysis of state-level heat action plans.International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics · 2026Article
- Temperature extremes and maternal health: differential risks of severe maternal morbidity during heatwaves and coldwaves in North Carolina.International journal of biometeorology · 2026Article
- Prevalence of major structural congenital abnormalities detected on infant surface examination in Botswana, 2014-2022: a birth outcomes surveillance study.BMJ paediatrics open · 2026Article
- To gain insights into heat adaptations among women during the antenatal period in India -The Heat in Pregnancy Project (HiP-I) India- Qualitative Study Protocol.Wellcome open research · 2026Article
- Ambient temperature extremes and neonatal mortality: a time-stratified case-crossover analysis using Demographic and Health Survey data from East Africa (2011-2022).BMJ public health · 2026Article
- Reducing extreme heat impacts on health in pregnant women and infants: a community based intervention in Kilifi, Kenya.Health policy and planning · 2025Article
- Intervention co-design to reduce the impact of heat exposure on pregnant and postpartum women and newborns in Burkina Faso.Health policy and planning · 2025Article
- How is maternal, newborn, and child health addressed in Heat Health Action Plans? A scoping review and content analysis.Journal of global health · 2025Article
- Heat Adaptation Benefits for Vulnerable groups In Africa (HABVIA): a study protocol for a controlled clinical heat adaptation trial.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Mental health disparities among maternal populations following heatwave exposure in North Carolina (2011-2019): a matched analysis.Lancet regional health. Americas · 2025Article
- No climate justice without sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice (SRHRJ): past, present, and future challenges faced by the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and Climate Justice Coalition.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2025Article
- Integrating gender in health interventions for adapting to extreme heat in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review.BMJ public health · 2025Article
- Advancing and scaling up sexual and reproductive health services for climate adaptation and resilience in Uganda.Frontiers in global women's health · 2025Article
- The Heat Is On: Climate Change Implications for Pregnant Women with Sickle Cell Disease.Women's health reports (New Rochelle, N.Y.) · 2025Review
- Study protocol for the Bio-HEAT study: Investigating the Biological pathways from HEAT exposure to preterm birth and other adverse maternal and child health outcomes in South Africa.Wellcome open research · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 4 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Anatomical, physiologic, and socio-cultural changes during pregnancy and childbirth increase vulnerability of women and newborns to high ambient temperatures. Extreme heat can overwhelm thermoregulatory mechanisms in pregnant women, especially during labor, cause dehydration and endocrine dysfunction, and compromise placental function. Clinical sequelae include hypertensive disorders, gestational diabetes, preterm birth, and stillbirth. High ambient temperatures increase rates of infections, and affect health worker performance and healthcare seeking. Rising temperatures with climate change and limited resources heighten concerns. We propose an adaptation framework containing four prongs. First, behavioral changes such as reducing workloads during pregnancy and using low-cost water sprays. Second, health system interventions encompassing Early Warning Systems centered around existing community-based outreach; heat-health indicator tracking; water supplementation and monitoring for heat-related conditions during labor. Building modifications, passive and active cooling systems, and nature-based solutions can reduce temperatures in facilities. Lastly, structural interventions and climate financing are critical. The overall package of interventions, ideally selected following cost-effectiveness and thermal modeling trade-offs, needs to be co-designed and co-delivered with affected communities, and take advantage of existing maternal and child health platforms. Robust-applied research will set the stage for programs across Africa that target pregnant women. Adequate research and climate financing are now urgent.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.