Children in climate vulnerable districts of India 25% more likely to be underweight: Study

Children in India districts that are highly vulnerable to climate change could be 25 per cent more likely to be underweight, compared to those in less vulnerable districts, indicating how climate vulnerability can impact public health outcomes, a study has found.

Districts highly vulnerable to climate change consistently underperform on achieving health targets, such as stunting and problems accessing healthcare, compared to less vulnerable districts, the study published in the journal PLOS one said.

Researchers from Delhi's Institute of Economic Growth said that with 80 per cent of India's population living in areas highly vulnerable to extreme weather events such as cyclones, floods and heatwaves, risks due to climate change could undermine the country's progress on several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Member states of the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015, a blueprint for ensuring peace and prosperity for people and the planet by 2030. Seventeen SDGs have been described which include ending poverty, achieving gender equality and improving access to clean water and sanitation.

Low and middle-income countries are projected to experience the worst effects of climate change owing to geographical location, such as tropical regions, and a limited capacity to adapt.

The researchers analysed data from the National Family Health Survey-Round 5 and 'Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture' (CRIDA), which provides information on a district's climate vulnerability.

The study also found a 38 per cent higher likelihood of a non-institutional delivery — birth occurring outside a healthcare facility — in districts highly vulnerable to climate change.

"The chance of children being underweight and that of women having non-institutional deliveries, is (25 per cent and 38 per cent) higher, respectively, in districts that are highly vulnerable to climate change than districts that are less vulnerable," the authors wrote.

"Districts that are highly vulnerable to climate change consistently underperform on the studied health targets as compared to districts which are less vulnerable to climate change," they said.

Climate vulnerability was also related with problems accessing healthcare.

The team also found a higher chance of six per cent and 14 per cent for wasting — a low weight for height — and stunting in highly vulnerable districts.

"Districts which are highly vulnerable in terms of climate, underperform on health metrics, including stunting, wasting, being underweight, having non-institutional deliveries and facing problems in accessing health care," the authors said.

They added that the findings establish the need to account for how climate change impacts health outcomes, apart from the socio-economic and access-related factors conventionally considered relevant, in low and middle-income countries such as India.

Risks due to climate change need to be urgently addressed, including an effective adaption in health, to ensure desired health and well-being outcomes can be achieved and sustained amidst rising climate risks, the team said.