Atalell Kendalem Asmare, Pereira Gavin, Duko Bereket, Nyadanu Sylvester Dodzi, O'Donnell Melissa, Tessema Gizachew A
Curtin School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
Curtin School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; enAble Institute, Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia.
Environ Int. 2025 Aug;202:109642. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2025.109642. Epub 2025 Jun 25.
Rising global temperatures, including in Australia, increase biothermal stress. However, the impact of prenatal and childhood exposure to extreme biothermal stress, measured by the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI), on early childhood developmental vulnerability remains unclear. This study aimed to examine the association between prenatal and early childhood exposure to biothermal stress and early childhood developmental vulnerability at school entry in Western Australia.
A population-based retrospective cohort study of 59,771 children from the 2009-2015 Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) was conducted. UTCI was spatiotemporally linked to maternal residential addresses at the time of birth at the Statistical Area 1 (SA1) level. The average UTCI exposure from conception to AEDC assessment was calculated for each child, with separate analyses for prenatal (conception to birth) and postnatal (birth to AEDC assessment) exposure. Mixed-effect logistic regression models were used to examine the association between childhood developmental vulnerability and biothermal stress.
The mean UTCI exposure from conception to AEDC assessment was 14.4 ± 2.5 °C. After adjusting for potential confounders, children exposed to heat stress during this period had 29 % higher odds of DV1 (developmentally vulnerable in one or more AEDC domain(s)) than those exposed to optimal thermal conditions (9-26 °C) (OR: 1.29; 95 % CI: 1.05-1.58). Prenatal exposure to heat stress was associated with 34 % higher odds of DV1 (OR: 1.34; 95 % CI: 1.10-1.65).
Exposure to heat stress from conception to the AEDC assessment date increases developmental vulnerability, with the strongest effect observed during the prenatal period. Policymakers might integrate heat exposure considerations into maternal and child health strategies to mitigate risks for vulnerable populations.
全球气温上升，包括在澳大利亚，增加了生物热应激。然而，通过通用热气候指数（UTCI）衡量的产前和儿童期暴露于极端生物热应激对儿童早期发育脆弱性的影响仍不清楚。本研究旨在探讨西澳大利亚州产前和儿童期暴露于生物热应激与儿童入学时早期发育脆弱性之间的关联。
对来自2009 - 2015年澳大利亚早期发展普查（AEDC）的59771名儿童进行了一项基于人群的回顾性队列研究。UTCI在统计区域1（SA1）层面与出生时母亲的居住地址进行时空关联。计算每个孩子从受孕到AEDC评估的平均UTCI暴露量，并分别对产前（受孕到出生）和产后（出生到AEDC评估）暴露进行分析。使用混合效应逻辑回归模型来检验儿童发育脆弱性与生物热应激之间的关联。
从受孕到AEDC评估的平均UTCI暴露量为14.4±2.5°C。在调整潜在混杂因素后，在此期间暴露于热应激的儿童出现DV1（在一个或多个AEDC领域发育脆弱）的几率比暴露于最佳热条件（9 - 26°C）的儿童高29%（OR：1.29；95%CI：1.05 - 1.58）。产前暴露于热应激与DV1几率高34%相关（OR：1.34；95%CI：1.10 - 1.65）。
从受孕到AEDC评估日期暴露于热应激会增加发育脆弱性，在孕期观察到的影响最强。政策制定者可能会将热暴露考量纳入母婴健康策略，以降低弱势群体的风险。
