New research out of NYU shows high temperatures can lead to delays in early childhood development. This is a growing concern as climate change continues to bring extremes—including extended heatwaves.
For the study, published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, researchers analyzed data for 19,607 3- and 4-year-olds from Gambia, Georgia, Madagascar, Malawi, Palestine and Sierra Leone. These locations were selected because each had detailed data on child development, household factors and climate, allowing researchers to estimate children’s exposure to different temperatures.
To assess children’s development, the researchers used the Early Childhood Development Index (ECDI), which measures basic developmental milestones in four areas:
- skills related to reading and numbers (literacy and numeracy)
- social-emotional development
- approaches to learning
- physical development.
The team also used 2017-2020 data from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), a database with demographic information and indicators on wellbeing, including education, health, nutrition and sanitation. They then merged the ECDI and MICS data with climate data on average monthly temperatures.
According to the study data, children who were exposed to average maximum temperatures above 86 °F (30 °C) were 5 to 6.7% less likely to meet basic developmental milestones for literacy and numeracy compared with children exposed to temperatures lower than 78.8 °F in the same region and season. These effects were more pronounced among children from economically disadvantaged households, households with less access to clean water and those from urban areas.
“While heat exposure has been linked to negative physical and mental health outcomes across the life course, this study provides a new insight that excessive heat negatively impacts young children’s development across diverse countries,” sayid lead author Jorge Cuartas, assistant professor of applied psychology at NYU Steinhardt. “Because early development lays the foundation for lifelong learning, physical and mental health, and overall well-being, these findings should alert researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to the urgent need to protect children’s development in a warming world.”
The study authors say more research is needed to identify the specific mechanisms that explain these effects and the factors that either protect children or heighten their vulnerability.
Data from NYU