Extreme weather events and maternal health in low-income and middle-income countries: a scoping review

Abstract

Background: Despite global efforts to improve maternal health and healthcare, women throughout the world endure poor health during pregnancy. Extreme weather events (EWE) disrupt infrastructure and access to medical services, however little is known about their impact on the health of women during pregnancy in resource-poor settings.

Objectives: This review aims to examine the current literature on the impact of EWE on maternal health to identify the pathways between EWE and maternal health in low-income and middle-income countries to identify gaps.

Eligibility criteria: Studies were eligible for inclusion if they were published before 15 December 2022 and the population of the studies included pregnant and postpartum women (defined at up to 6 weeks postpartum) who were living in low-income and middle-income countries. The exposure of the included study must be related to EWE and the result to maternal health outcomes.

Sources of evidence: We searched the literature using five databases, Medline, Global Health, Embase, Web of Science and CINAHL in December 2022. We assessed the results using predetermined criteria that defined the scope of the population, exposures and outcomes. In total, 15 studies were included.

Charting methods: We identified studies that fit the criteria and extracted key themes. We extracted population demographics and sampling methodologies, assessed the quality of the studies and conducted a narrative synthesis to summarise the key findings.

Results: Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria. The quantitative studies (n=4) and qualitative (n=11) demonstrated an association between EWE and malnutrition, mental health, mortality and access to maternal health services.

Conclusion: EWE negatively impact maternal health through various mechanisms including access to services, stress and mortality. The results have demonstrated concerning effects, but there is also limited evidence surrounding these broad topics in low-resource settings. Research is necessary to determine the mechanisms by which EWE affect maternal health.

Prospero registration number: CRD42022352915.

Keywords: Maternal medicine; PUBLIC HEALTH; Postpartum Women.

Figure 1

The study selection process which was conducted by two reviewers. Each step explains why studies were excluded and demonstrates how the studies that were included in the review were selected. PRISMA adapted from Page et al. PRISMA, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses.

Figure 2

The geographical distribution of the selected studies which shows the frequency of each country’s occurrence in the settings of the included studies.