Extreme weather events and birth outcomes

Abstract

Extreme weather events, characterized by intensity or frequency that exceeds historical patterns, have become increasingly common and have produced significant impacts on health. This study investigates the effects of drought on birth outcomes by examining two distinct episodes: the drought that occurred in March 2020 in Rio Grande do Norte and the drought of January 2022 in the southern states of Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, and Santa Catarina. Using microdata from the Live Birth Information System (SINASC/DATASUS) linked to official disaster records from the CEMADEN Disaster Atlas, we constructed gestational cohorts exposed or unexposed to the events and estimated Difference-inDifferences models to identify causal effects. The results show that, in Rio Grande do Norte, exposure to drought was associated with a statistically significant reduction in birth weight, whereas in the Southern Region the predominant impact occurred through a shortening of gestational duration, revealing regional heterogeneity in the sensitivity of pregnancies to drought events.