A recent publication in Global Environmental Change examines the relationship between birth weight, precipitation, and temperature in 19 African countries (Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe).

 

A local Fox News station interviewed Kathryn Grace, the lead author on the paper and a professor at the University of Utah.

 

 

In the interview, Grace discusses how her research investigated the effect temperature had on pregnant mothers and the subsequent birth weight of their children: "So, we looked at both 100 degrees and 105 degrees and the number of days above each of those; and then when women were exposed to more of those hot days, then we saw the significance, the importance, of temperature as having a negative impact on birth weights."

 

Birth weights from Demographic and Health Surveys covering 1986 through 2010 were matched with climate data from various sources. Observed weather patterns during various stages of pregnancy were also used to examine the effect of temperature and precipitation on birth weight outcomes. The paper also factored in dominant food production strategies, household wealth, mother's education, and birth season.

 

You can read more about the paper on the University of Utah's website.