Socio-Ecological Factors Influencing Maternal and Child Health Outcomes During Floods in South Punjab Pakistan 2025:...

South Punjab, Pakistan, is located approximately nearby the Indus and Chanab rivers. Heavy monsoon and climate change make the situation worse every year, and these areas suffer from severe flooding. Millions of people face challenges in accessing the medical facility, hindered resource availability, damaged infrastructure and a potentially increased socio-ecological problem.

The prime objective of the study was to examine socio-ecological factors, hurdles to access healthcare facilities, and family coping methods that impact the child's and mother's health during the flood.

We used the mixed-method approach, including a quantitative survey of 560 women aged 18-49 that lived in the flood-affected region (Bahawalpur, Multan and Muzaffargarh) and thematic analysis of 42 participants with in-depth interviews performed by using NVivo software. Binary logistic regression was used to analyse predictors of maternal healthcare challenges. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS-26 and R-Studio.

Primary conclusive challenges to access to maternal healthcare are limited access to clean water (OR = 3.239, CI: 1.494-6.561, p = 0.01), food insecurity (OR = 3.239, CI: 1.378-7.604, p = 0.01) and displacement (OR = 2.792, CI: 1.798-6.013, p = 0.01). Qualitative themes highlight dependence on informal networks, environmental pollution, and institutional overload.

Water scarcity, food insecurity, and displacement significantly affected maternal and child health during the 2025 flood. Nutritional supplies, mobile healthcare and community training must be prioritised. Equitable health policies must be supported by future research into longitudinal recovery.