Ambient heat and early childhood development
A cross‐national analysis
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21344960 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jorge Cuartas (0000-0002-0451-3298, Department of Applied Psychology New York University New York NY USA, corresponding author), Lenin H Balza (0000-0002-4376-2430, Interamerican Development Bank Washington DC USA), Andrés Felipe Camacho (Chicago Department of Public Health), Andrés Camacho (0000-0002-1060-8824, Harris School of Public Policy The University of Chicago Chicago IL USA), Nicolas Gomez-Parra (0000-0002-2176-3790, Inter-American Development Bank), Nicolás Gómez‐Parra (Interamerican Development Bank Washington DC USA) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 67 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 929-940 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0021-9630 • E-ISSN: 1469-7610 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/jcpp.70081 |
| PMID | 41358911 |
| OpenAlex | W4417121216 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 39 |
BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence suggests that climate change, along with its cascading impacts on ecosystems, societies, and communities, has significant effects on both physical and mental health. However, less is known about how exposure to excessive heat early in life may influence the development of foundational skills that shape lifelong developmental trajectories. This study examined the effects of ambient heat on early childhood development across six countries, using geographic and time-stamped data on child development and ambient temperature. METHODS: Our primary outcome is the Early Childhood Development Index. We used linear probability models with geographic and seasonality fixed effects to account for baseline climatic conditions, as well as other individual and contextual covariates to address potential selection bias. The sample comprised 19,607 children aged three and four from Georgia, The Gambia, Madagascar, Malawi, Sierra Leone, and the State of Palestine, all participants in Multiple Indicators Cluster Surveys collected between 2017 and 2020. We merged these data with temperature data from the ERA5-Land Monthly Aggregated Climate Dataset, calculating the mean monthly maximum temperature children experienced from birth to interview. RESULTS: We found that children exposed to average maximum temperatures above 32°C were less likely to be developmentally on track compared to those exposed to cooler temperatures, even after accounting for baseline average climatic conditions and other covariates. Domain-specific models indicate that these effects were most pronounced in literacy and numeracy skills. Subgroup analyses revealed that the negative impacts were particularly severe for children in economically disadvantaged households and urban areas, and for those lacking access to adequate water and sanitation. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the potential impact of excessive heat on early childhood development, emphasizing the need for policies and interventions that enhance preparedness, adaptation, and resilience to support human development in an rapidly warming world
Child development · Childhood development · Early childhood · Extreme heat · Heat stress · Psychological intervention · Psychological resilience · Climate Change and Health Impacts · Thermal Regulation in Medicine · Thermoregulation and physiological responses
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Temperature, human health, and adaptation
The 2024 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change
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The ERA5 global reanalysis
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Infrastructure Services and Early Childhood Development in Latin America and the Caribbean
Learning is inhibited by heat exposure, both internationally and within the United States
Causal inference on human behaviour
| Highly cited | No |
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