Climate Events, Food Environment, and Nutritional Outcomes: A Scoping Review

This scoping review aims to present the scientific literature on the associations of climate events (extreme weather events and climate variability) with anthropometric outcomes, food security, and the food environment. It aims to map evidence, analyze the existing findings, identify gaps, and improve the understanding of how climate events are associated with these outcomes, offering insights into the development of intersectoral actions in the face of the emerging risks of the climate crisis.

From the 78 included studies (47.4% published after 2021), most were conducted in Africa (50.0%) and focused on children under five years old (82.0%). Child undernutrition, particularly stunting (50.0%), was the most studied outcome. Few studies addressed food security (12.8%) or the food environment (3.8%). Climate variability (rainfall and/or temperature) was the most frequent exposure (71.7%), while 35.8% evaluated extreme weather events. Evidence indicates that precipitation variability - such as rainfall anomalies - are associated with child stunting and increased food insecurity. Furthermore, increases in mean temperature and heatwaves were linked to reductions in children's weight-for-height, weight-for-age, and birth weight in most studies. The literature demonstrates significant associations of climate events with nutritional status, notably the association between climate variability and child undernutrition. However, it lacks intersectional approaches and comprehensive analyses of outcomes like obesity, food insecurity, and the food environment, as well as extreme weather events. More in-depth, context-oriented research is needed to advance knowledge regarding the relationships of these different types of climate events with different outcomes across various contexts, effectively guiding mitigation and food security policies.