Climate change and health in Brazil: Investigating the impacts of extreme rainfall and drought

Record-breaking rainfall extremes have increased in frequency over the past three decades, a trend that is predicted to continue due to global warming. These events are drawing increasing attention to the health impacts of extreme precipitation events across the life course. Understanding 1) the mechanisms by which extreme precipitation impacts health, 2) which populations are most vulnerable under what contexts, and 3) what interventions may be able to improve the resilience of population health to extreme rainfall is critical to prepare for future extreme weather events.

The aim of this project is to understand the short-term relationship between extreme precipitation and health outcomes among children living in low-income households in Brazil.

In the first year of the project, current evidence on the health impacts of extreme precipitation among children and infants in low-and-middle-income countries will be appraised through a systematic review.

Following the systematic review, the impact of extreme participation on health outcomes among children under 5 in the '100 Million Brazilian Cohort' will be modelled. The "100 Million Brazilian cohort" is an 18-year longitudinal study, representative of low-income households in Brazil. The cohort contains rich linked data on health and social outcomes for approximately half of the population. Recent linkage of climatic data, including precipitation data at a Municipality scale creates an opportunity to explore the impact of extreme weather events in this highly diverse country. The effects of potential mediators, such as household income or primary water source will be estimated to understand which populations are most vulnerable to flooding health impacts.