Sampath Vanitha, Payne-Sturges Devon, Slopen Natalie, Harnett Nathaniel, Lee Alison G, Nadeau Kari, Taylor Nat Kendall, Burghardt Lindsey
Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States.
Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.
Front Public Health. 2025 Aug 25;13:1654097. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1654097. eCollection 2025.
The frequency and severity of heat waves are expected to worsen with climate change. Exposure to extreme heat, or prolonged unusually high temperatures, are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The fetus, infant, and young child are more sensitive to higher temperatures than older children and most adults given that they are rapidly developing. During pregnancy, exposure to extreme heat may result in dehydration, inflammation, and reduced blood flow in the placenta potentially triggering preterm birth and increased rates of stillbirth and low birth weight infants. Young children experience a range of immediate health effects from heat, including disruptions in their sleep and learning, and exacerbations of asthma. Long-term impacts include lower cognitive function, reduced ability to concentrate, and adverse outcomes in mental and behavioral health. It is possible to protect children by taking steps to reduce the potential long-term harm of increasing exposure to extreme heat, such as implementing early warning systems, establishing community cooling centers, and expanding support programs to provide cooling systems to homes. Further, adapting existing infrastructure to withstand increased heat through increasing shade as well as the use of cool pavements or cool/green roofs in early care centers and other places children spend time may be efficient ways of mitigating the developmental effects of extreme heat. Finally, preventing future temperature increases by addressing the root causes behind our rapidly heating planet by decreasing use of fossil fuel and investing in renewable energy sources are ultimately needed to ensure healthy child development.
随着气候变化，热浪的频率和严重程度预计会加剧。暴露于极端高温或持续异常高温之下，会增加发病率和死亡率。胎儿、婴儿和幼儿比大龄儿童和大多数成年人对高温更为敏感，因为他们正处于快速发育阶段。在孕期，暴露于极端高温之下可能导致脱水、炎症以及胎盘血流量减少，进而可能引发早产、死产率上升以及低体重儿出生率增加。幼儿会因高温立即出现一系列健康问题，包括睡眠和学习受到干扰，以及哮喘病情加重。长期影响包括认知功能降低、注意力难以集中，以及对心理和行为健康产生不良后果。采取措施减少因日益暴露于极端高温之下可能造成的长期危害，从而保护儿童是可行的，比如实施早期预警系统、设立社区降温中心，以及扩大支持项目以便为家庭提供降温系统。此外，通过增加遮荫以及在早期护理中心和儿童活动的其他场所使用凉爽路面或凉爽/绿色屋顶，使现有基础设施适应更高的温度，可能是减轻极端高温对发育影响的有效方法。最后，通过减少化石燃料的使用和投资可再生能源来解决地球迅速升温背后的根本原因，以防止未来气温上升，这对于确保儿童健康发育最终是必不可少的。
