Associations Between Extreme Weather Events And Child Undernutrition
BMJ Group
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Abstract: This study explores the relationship between drought-related extreme weather events and child undernutrition across 51 low- and middle-income countries, using data from 320,479 children and 1,320 disasters. The research demonstrates that drought exposure during early childhood significantly increases the risk of wasting, particularly in East African regions like Kenya and Ethiopia. Floods had no consistent impact. The findings suggest that timing and type of climate shocks play a crucial role in nutrition outcomes, with implications for disaster preparedness, healthcare provisioning, and social protection programs. The authors recommend targeted nutrition interventions and health system strengthening in climate-vulnerable zones. Methodologies include linking Demographic Health Survey datasets with EM-DAT disaster records and applying regression modeling to identify correlation patterns. The study concludes by emphasizing the urgency of incorporating climate risk assessments into child health and nutrition policies.