CANBERRA, April 2 — Exposure to extreme heat is increasing the risk of babies being born underweight, according to new research led by the University of Adelaide, reported Xinhua.

The study analysed health data from more than 85,000 mothers and babies in Pakistan, combining 10 years of birth records (2008-2017) with temperature data to assess how extreme heat affects birth weight, a statement from the University of Adelaide said today.

The findings showed that 18 per cent of babies were found to have low birth weight, defined as weighing less than 2.5 kilogrammes (kg) or being described as smaller than average in size at birth.

The research, published in BMC Medicine, linked about 13 per cent of low-birth-weight cases to hot weather, a figure projected to rise by 8-10 per cent by the 2060s due to climate change.

In some areas of Pakistan, pregnant women exposed to high temperatures were up to 70 per cent more likely to deliver low-birth-weight infants, due to their hotter climate and greater socioeconomic disadvantage, among other factors, said project lead, Associate Professor Zohra Lassi from the University of Adelaide’s Robinson Research Institute.

Low birth weight leads to neonatal mortality and impaired long-term health problems such as stunted growth or cognitive defects, Lassi said.

Lead author Hira Fatima, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Canberra, said stronger maternal health services and climate-adapted maternal care strategies were urgently needed.

Fatima warned that climate change, combined with poverty and limited healthcare access, poor air quality and maternal undernutrition, “can deepen risks for mothers and newborns in ways that are far from equal.” — Bernama-Xinhua