Climate Change Contributes to Malnutrition in Pakistani Children

Strategic Insights -

Severe weather events, such as heatwaves and torrential rains, are increasingly linked to malnutrition in infants under 24 months of age in Pakistan. While established causes of child stunting and wasting include poverty, food insecurity, and poor maternal nutrition, the analysis reveals that climate factors also play a significant role. The study highlights the need to integrate climate action into nutrition strategies to mitigate the effects of climate change on child health.

Key Takeaways:

  • A first-of-its-kind study links extreme weather events to wasting and stunting in infants across Pakistan, with heatwaves and heavy rainfall contributing to malnutrition in children under 24 months of age.
  • The analysis used geo-tagged data from Pakistan's 2011 and 2018 National Nutrition Surveys, covering 29,887 children, and linked dietary intake and food security data to high-resolution meteorological data.
  • Researchers measured children's Length-for-Age Z scores (LAZ) and Weight-for-Length Z scores (WLZ), standard indicators of stunting and wasting, and found that each 1AdegC rise in average temperature was linked to a reduction in LAZ scores among children under two.
  • The study identified Balochistan and Sindh as the warmest and driest provinces, with the highest rates of stunting and wasting, and found that each 1 mm increase in rainfall or snowfall was associated with lower LAZ scores.
  • Climate factors, such as high temperatures and heavy rainfall, must now be considered alongside other known factors such as premature birth, poor maternal diet, and poverty, according to Dr. Zulfiqar Bhutta, a leading expert on maternal and child health.
  • A 2020 study in Ethiopia found that mothers exposed to high temperatures during pregnancy - especially in the first and third trimesters - were more likely to have severely stunted children.
  • The study recommends that climate factors be formally included in child health planning and policy-making to mitigate the effects of climate change on child health.

Statistics:

  • 29,887 children were analyzed from Pakistan's 2011 and 2018 National Nutrition Surveys.
  • The study found that each 1AdegC rise in average temperature was linked to a reduction in LAZ scores among children under two.
  • Each 1 mm increase in rainfall or snowfall was associated with lower LAZ scores.
  • The August 2022 floods killed 1,486 people and caused $30 billion in damages, with pre-monsoon rainfall 111% above the 1951-2021 average and monsoon rainfall 547% above normal levels.
  • Southern Pakistan saw up to eight times more rainfall than normal in 2022, marking the wettest period in over 60 years.

Sources:

  • The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
  • The Express Tribune
  • Nature
  • Institute for Global Health and Development at Aga Khan University
  • Centre for Global Child Health at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto