Young children who experience long-term exposure to severe heat are more likely to experience developmental delays, scientists have discovered. It’s the latest finding in a growing body of evidence that points to the dangers that high temperatures pose to kids.
The research, published Monday in The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, examined records from 19,607 children across six major global regions: Palestine and the countries of Georgia, Gambia, Madagascar, Malawi and Sierra Leone. All the children, which included both boys and girls across a range of socioeconomic backgrounds, were 3 to 4 years old when the study was conducted.
The children had participated in a UNICEF program known as the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys, or MICS, which collects data on the well-being of children around the world. The researchers used MICS results to evaluate each child using well-established scientific metrics for early childhood development, such as comprehension of reading and numbers.
The researchers also looked at each child’s place of residence and noted the maximum temperatures that occurred there during each month of the child’s life. They then calculated the average of those monthly highs.
