Children in climate-vulnerable districts face higher risk of being underweight

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 foundDistricts 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 saidResearchers from Delhis Institute of Economic Growth said that with 80 per cent of Indias population living in areas highly vulnerable to extreme weather events such as cyclones floods and heatwaves risks due to climate change could undermine the countrys progress on several Sustainable Development Goals SDGsMember 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 sanitationLow and middleincome countries are projected to experience the worst effects of climate change owing to geographical location such as tropical regions and a limited capacity to adaptThe researchers analysed data from the National Family Health SurveyRound 5 and Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture CRIDA which provides information on a districts climate vulnerabilityThe study also found a 38 per cent higher likelihood of a noninstitutional delivery birth occurring outside a healthcare facility in districts highly vulnerable to climate changeThe chance of children being underweight and that of women having noninstitutional 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 wroteDistricts 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 saidClimate vulnerability was also related with problems accessing healthcareThe 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 districtsDistricts which are highly vulnerable in terms of climate underperform on health metrics including stunting wasting being underweight having noninstitutional deliveries and facing problems in accessing health care the authors saidThey added that the findings establish the need to account for how climate change impacts health outcomes apart from the socioeconomic and accessrelated factors conventionally considered relevant in low and middleincome countries such as IndiaRisks due to climate change need to be urgently addressed including an effective adaption in health to ensure desired health and wellbeing outcomes can be achieved and sustained amidst rising climate risks the team saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever