A Hidden Factor Slowing Child Development Has Been Discovered 0 12

The impact of extreme heat at an early age may hinder children from acquiring basic skills — this conclusion was reached by scientists whose work was published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (JCPP). The researchers analyzed data on the development of 19,607 children aged 3-4 from Georgia, Gambia, Madagascar, Malawi, Sierra Leone, and Palestine and compared it with high-precision climate measurements from 2017 to 2020.

It turned out that children who regularly live in maximum temperatures above 32 °C are significantly less likely to meet developmental norms in literacy and numerical skills. The effect was most pronounced among children from poor families, urban areas, and homes without access to clean water — factors that exacerbate the effects of heat.

The authors note that heat can affect cognitive development through several channels: dehydration, chronic stress, neuroinflammation, sleep disturbances, and reduced physical activity. According to them, the results highlight the urgent need for measures — from adapting urban environments to social support — to protect children's development in a rapidly warming world.