Global warming (or climate change, whichever phrase you prefer) is not without controversy. There are those who claim that we are on the verge of catastrophe and those who claim that the whole concept is just a myth. There are a variety of concerns about the effect that global warming will have on both the Earth and its residents. The latest information is specific to one of our most vulnerable populations – newborn babies.
An article that appeared on the Miller-McCune website discusses the possibility that global warming may lead to a significant increase in dangerously underweight newborns by the end of this century.
If current projections of a warming planet prove accurate, the percentage of dangerously underweight newborns will increase significantly in the U.S. by the end of the century, according to a paper recently published in the American Economic Review. Due to the effects of hot temperatures, mean birth weights will decrease, on average, by 0.22 percent among whites and 0.36 percent among blacks. Source: Miller-McCune
The report, Climate Change and Birth Weight, appeared in the May 2009 issue of the American Economic Review. Since I’m a college student, I have access to a wide variety of journals through the university’s online library and the American Economic Review is one of these journals.
The article explains that birth weight data for the study was obtained from the National Center for Health Statistics Natality Detail Files from 1972 through 1988. The data collected was the date of birth, the race, sex, birth weight, county of birth, marital status of the mother, education level of the mother, and the exact date of the mother’s last menstrual period (LMP). If the race, sex, birth weight, or LMP was not available, the data was excluded from the study.
The weather data used in the study was obtained from the National Climatic Data Center Summary of the Day Data. Daily maximum and minimum temperatures were captured and used to create an average daily temp.
The final data source used during this study was the climate change prediction data, which was obtained from the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Climate System Model (CCSM) 3.
Although the association is suggested, it is important to note that more research will need to be conducted to see if there is a true relationship between global warming and an increase in the amount of low-birth weight babies (under 2,500 grams).
Photo by Raphael Goetter
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