Environment/Climate Change
Prenatal and early childhood exposure to biothermal stress and developmental vulnerability at school entry: A population-based study in Western Australia Kendalem Atalell* Kendalem Atalell Gavin Pereira Bereket Duko Sylvester Nyadanu Gizachew Tessema
Backgrounds: Evidence shows that temperature is rising across Australia and globally, increasing biothermal stress. However, the impact of prenatal and childhood exposure to adverse biothermal stress, measured by the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI), on early childhood developmental vulnerability remains unclear. This study examined the long-term effect of biothermal stress on early childhood developmental vulnerability at school entry.
Methods: A population-based retrospective cohort study of 59,771 children from the 2009-2015 Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) was used to investigate the role of biothermal stress on early childhood developmental vulnerability. Biothermal stress, measured using the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI), was spatiotemporally linked to maternal residential addresses at the statistical area 1 (SA1) level. The UTCI incorporates air temperature, wind speed, humidity, and solar radiation. The average UTCI exposure from conception to the census date was calculated for each child. Exposure during pregnancy and childhood was also separately assigned to everyone. Mixed-effect logistic regression models examined the association between developmental vulnerability and biothermal stress levels.
Result: After adjusting for confounders, children exposed to long-term heat stress (>26°C) had 29% higher odds of being developmentally vulnerable in at least one developmental domain (DV1) compared to those exposed to optimal thermal conditions (9–26°C) (OR: 1.29; 95% CI: 1.05–1.58). Prenatal exposure to heat stress was associated with a 34% higher likelihood of DV1 than optimal thermal conditions exposure (OR: 1.34; 95% CI: 1.10–1.65).
Conclusion: Exposure to heat stress during and after pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of developmental vulnerability, with particularly significant effects observed in pregnancy. Policymakers and healthcare providers may prioritise creating supportive environments for pregnant individuals and young children, integrating heat exposure considerations into maternal and child health strategies.