Systematic review of climate change interventions for improving child health

Children are disproportionately affected by the negative health effects of climate change. We did a systematic review to synthesise the available evidence on tested interventions to improve child health in response to the impacts of climate change.

We searched PubMed, Medline, Embase and Google Scholar for relevant literature of any study type published up to 14 March 2024. We applied the mixed-methods appraisal tool to assess the quality of evidence of each study, excluding reviews.

Of 4381 records we identified, 52 met the eligibility criteria. Interventions addressed health outcomes relating to: (1) heat (n=14), (2) water, sanitation and hygiene (n=3), (3) food insecurity and undernutrition (n=4), (4) disasters and extreme weather (n=6), (5) respiratory illness (n=3), (6) mental health (n=2) and (7) vector-borne diseases (n=5). 15 studies examined the co-benefits of mitigation on child health outcomes. Maternity ward relocation and high school sport guidelines reduced heat-related morbidity. Cash transfers to pregnant women, rainwater collection and access to green spaces reduced the incidence of low birth weight. Household-level livelihood diversification reduced the incidence of being underweight during childhood. Retrofitting buildings with insulation and administering pneumococcal conjugate vaccines improved respiratory outcomes. Insecticide-treated nets, indoor residual spraying and artemisinin-based combination therapy reduced malaria complications. Classroom-based sessions related to climate change and post-bushfire counselling increased mental well-being, knowledge of climate risks and adaptive behaviours. Reports of mitigation policies found co-benefits in improving infant mortality, and respiratory and adverse birth outcomes.

Current evidence reporting which interventions are successful is scarce, heterogenous and of inconsistent quality. More robust scientific demonstrations of effectiveness are needed for interventions within climate change policies to ensure they improve child health.