Scoping review of climate drivers on maternal health: current evidence and clinical implications.

Objective: To systematically review the literature on associations between climate drivers and health outcomes among pregnant people. This review fills a gap by synthesizing evidence for a clinician audience. Data Sources: Systematic scoping review of articles published in PubMed and clinicaltrials.gov from January 2010 through December 2023. Study Eligibility Criteria: Empirical studies published in English-language peer-reviewed journals, assessing associations between select climate drivers and adverse maternal and birth outcomes. The review included studies examining heat, storms, sea level rise, flooding, drought, wildfires, and other climate-related factors. Health outcomes included preterm birth, low birthweight, small for gestational age, gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia/eclampsia, miscarriage/stillbirth and maternal mortality. Study Appraisal and Synthesis Methods: The scoping review protocol was registered with the International Platform of Registered Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocols (INPLASY202410004, January 3, 2024) and conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). Data were extracted by 2 authors; quality and risk of bias was assessed independently. Results: Total of 966 references were screened; 16.35% ( Conclusions: Climate drivers are consistently associated with adverse health outcomes for pregnant people. Continuing education for clinicians, and clinician-patient communications should be expanded to address risks of climate change and extreme weather exposure, especially risks of extreme heat in late-pregnancy. Results from this review should inform multilevel interventions to address adverse health effects of climate during pregnancy as well as practice advisories, protocols, checklists, and clinical guidelines in obstetrics.