Climate change impacts are felt unequally worldwide; populations that experience geographical vulnerability, those living in small island states and densely populated coastal areas, and children and women are affected disproportionately. This scoping review aims to synthesize evidence from relevant studies centred on South Asia, identify research gaps specifically focused on children and women's health, and contribute to knowledge about South Asia's existing mitigation and adaptation strategies. A research librarian executed the search on six databases using controlled vocabulary (e.g., MeSH, Emtree, etc.) and keywords representing the concepts “vulnerable populations” and “climate change” and “health impacts” and “South Asia.” Databases were searched from January 2010 to May 2020. Papers were screened independently by two researchers. Forty-two studies were included, of which 23 were based in India, 14 in Bangladesh, and five in other South Asian countries. Nineteen studies focused on meteorological factors as the primary exposure. In contrast, thirteen focused on extreme weather events, nine on air pollution, and one on salinity in coastal areas. Thirty-four studies focused on the health impacts on children related to extreme weather events, meteorological factors, and air pollution, while only eight studies looked at health impacts on women. Undernutrition, ARI (acute respiratory infection), diarrheal diseases, low birth weight, and premature mortality were the major health impacts attributed to extreme weather events, meteorological factors, and air pollution exposure in children and women in the region. Extreme weather events, meteorological factors and air pollution have affected the health of children and women in South Asia. However, the gap in the literature across the South Asian countries concerning relationships between exposure to extreme weather events, meteorological factors, air pollution and health effects, including mental health problems in children and women, are opportunities for future work.

Background: In the rapidly shifting Canadian climate, an ageing population, and increased migration, a greater understanding of how local climate and air pollution hazards impact older adults and immigrant populations will be necessary for mitigating and adapting to adverse health impacts. Objectives: To explore the reported health impacts of climate change and air pollution exposures in older adults and immigrant people living in Canada, identify known factors influencing risk and resilience in these populations and gaps in the literature. Methods: We searched for research focused on older adults and immigrants living in Canada, published from 2010 onward, where the primary exposures were related to climate or air pollution. We extracted data on setting, exposures, health outcomes, and other relevant contextual factors. Results and Discussion: We identified 52 eligible studies, most focused in Ontario and Quebec. Older people in Canada experience health risks due to climate and air pollution exposures. The extent of the risk depends on multiple factors. We found little information about the climate- and air pollution-related health impacts experienced by immigrant communities. Conclusions: Further research about climate- and air pollution-related exposures, health, and which factors promote or reduce resiliency in Canada’s older adults and immigrant communities is necessary.

Background: Childhood undernutrition is a significant public health issue in low-and middle-income countries, including Nepal. However, there is limited evidence showing the association between the planning of birth (PoB) and childhood undernutrition (stunting and underweight). We aimed to investigate the relationship between PoB and childhood undernutrition in the current study.Methods: We used the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) 2016 data, a nationally representative cross-sectional household survey. We used two anthropometric indicators of childhood undernutrition as the outcome of this study. PoB is the main predictor. We used binary logistic regression with sampling weights to estimate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to examine the association between the PoB and childhood undernutrition. Unless stated, the significant association between the variables is calculated withp < 0.001.Results: The overall prevalence of stunting was 35.8%, and underweight was 27.1% in children under 5 years of age in Nepal. We found a higher rate of stunting (52.7%) and underweight (41.1%) in children with birth order > 3 and < 2 years of the interval between birth and subsequent birth (IBBSB). The association between the children’s birth order and the prevalence of undernutrition had strong statistical significance. Mother’s age at marriage (p = 0.001), underweight mother, mother’s education, father’s education, wealth quintile, no exposure to mass media, children’s age, and place of residence(p = 0.001) were significantly associated with childhood undernutrition. The result of the multiple logistic regression showed that children with birth order one and 12–24 months of the interval between marriage and first birth (IBMFB) had significantly decreased odds of stunting than those children with birth order one and < 12 months of IBMFB (OR 0.6, 95% CI 0.4–0.9).Conclusion: The findings of the study demonstrate that PoB has a protective effect on childhood undernutrition. Delaying of childbirth until 12–24 months after marriage was found to be associated with reduced childhood stunting odds. To mitigate childhood undernutrition, Nepal’s government needs to promote delayed childbearing after marriage while focusing on uplifting the household economics status and wide coverage of and utilization of mass media.

This study explores climate change knowledge, attitudes, and experiences of community-dwelling older adults in Edmonton, Alberta. A qualitative descriptive methodology was used where thirty-nine older adults participated in one of six focus groups. A thematic data analysis helped identify three key themes synthesized from participants’ narratives: (a) Making sense of climate change, (b) lack of leadership in managing climate change; and (c) actions to address climate change that include an emphasis on individual responsibility and valuing the contributions of older adults. Older adults vary in their climate change literacy and levels of concern about climate change but share a commitment to environmental stewardship and community wellbeing. Expanding opportunities for older Canadians to learn about climate change and engage in climate initiatives will bring multiple benefits to this population and to the climate change movement.

The evidence regarding the effects of household air pollution on angina pectoris is limited in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). We sought to examine the association between household air pollution and angina pectoris across several countries. We analyzed data of individuals from 46 selected countries participating in the cross-sectional World Health Survey (WHS) 2002–2003. Pooled and stratified (sex, continent) logistic regression with sampling weights was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to quantify associations between the use of different household fuels with angina pectoris. In the pooled sample, we observed lower odds of angina pectoris with electricity use (OR: 0.68, 95% CI: 0.56–0.83) compared to those households reporting the use of gas as a household fuel. Increased odds of angina pectoris were observed with the use of agriculture/dung/shrub/other (OR: 1.65, 95% CI: 1.30–2.09), mixed (solid and non-solid fuels) (OR: 1.31, 95% CI: 1.09–1.56), and mixed solid fuel use (OR: 1.59, 95% CI: 1.12–2.25). Higher odds of angina pectoris were observed mainly with solid fuel use. The results highlight the importance of addressing these issues, especially in regions with a high proportion of solid fuel users and increasing levels of cardiovascular disease.

There is increasing recognition that climate change affects mental health, with young people identified as a high-risk population. Yet, research on this topic has mostly focused on quantitative studies with limited research exploring youth’s perspectives. This study explored Canadian adolescents’ perceptions of the impacts of climate change on their mental health. Data were collected from a cross-sectional survey of 804 Canadian adolescents (13–18 years). This study utilized open-ended response data from participants who reported that their mental health was impacted by climate change and who were then asked to describe how. An inductive thematic analysis with semantic coding was undertaken to analyze the data. Thirty-seven percent of participants reported that they felt climate change was impacting their mental health either a little or a lot, and 235 participants answered the open-ended question about how. In the open-ended responses, four themes emerged: i) Emotional and psychological responses, ii) Concerns for the future, iii) Impacts on functioning, and iv) Concerns for the environment, humanity, and wildlife. This study highlights that adolescents’ perspectives of the impacts of climate change on their mental health were diverse, highlighting multiple pathways linking climate change to mental health among this demographic. These insights can inform strategies to mitigate the climate-related mental health impacts among youth.