The impacts of heat waves on birth outcomes and child development based on data from the CPAPI Cohort

• Grant number: 25/17469-9
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: December 01, 2025
• End date: November 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Naercio Aquino Menezes Filho
• Grantee: Naercio Aquino Menezes Filho
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ensino e Pesquisa (Insper). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• City of the host institution: São Paulo
• Associated research grant: 19/12553-0 - Brazilian Center for Early Child Development, AP.PCPE

Abstract

The gestational period plays a critical role in shaping newborn health and in building human capital over the life course. This stage is particularly sensitive to environmental exposures, which can have lasting effects on human capital formation (Black et al., 2017). However, climate change has emerged as a growing threat to newborn development, as the frequency and intensity of heat waves and other extreme weather events continue to rise, exposing an increasing number of pregnant women and their children to adverse environmental conditions. A number of studies in the health literature have documented associations between high temperatures, miscarriages, and adverse birth outcomes. Yet, little is known about the underlying mechanisms driving the harmful effects of heat waves on birth outcomes and early child development. To help fill this gap in the evidence, this study aims to analyze the impacts of exposure to heat waves during pregnancy on birth outcomes and child development measured during the first year of life. (AU)