Climate Change and Health News and Research

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Asia accounts for more than half of global temperature-related deaths, study finds

Asia accounts for more than half of the over five million global deaths attributed to ambient cold and hot temperatures, according to an international study. But many governments are failing to prioritize health in their climate change strategies, experts warn.

12 Jul 2021

People's desire to live into older ages reduced by hypothetical adverse life scenarios

A new study sheds light on how the specter of dementia and chronic pain reduce people's desire to live into older ages.

12 Jul 2021

WHO: Effective action needed to protect the health of children from toxic e-waste

Effective and binding action is urgently required to protect the millions of children, adolescents and expectant mothers worldwide whose health is jeopardized by the informal processing of discarded electrical or electronic devices according to a new ground-breaking report from the World Health Organization: Children and Digital Dumpsites.

15 Jun 2021

Addressing climate change for better kidney health

Health has always been affected by climate and weather, but is increasingly clear that the change in climate is a significant threat to human health.

7 Jun 2021

COVID-19 has had a detrimental impact on adolescent mental health, study finds

A study of over 59,000 Icelandic adolescents by a team of Icelandic and North American behavioral and social scientists found that COVID-19 has had a significant, detrimental impact on adolescent mental health, especially in girls.

5 Jun 2021

Promoting infant healthy feeding practices can result in lower consumption of fats, carbohydrates later

Researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Brazil found that when health workers were trained to promote infant healthy feeding practices to pregnant women their children consumed less fats and carbohydrates at 3 years of age and had lower measures of body fat at the age of 6.

1 Jun 2021

Columbia creates Jennifer Schlecht Memorial Scholarship to support careers in sexual and reproductive health

The Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health announced today the creation of the Jennifer Schlecht Memorial Scholarship for Sexual and Reproductive Health Justice in Fragile Settings which will be awarded annually as part of the Jennifer Schlecht Memorial Fund, hosted by Family Planning 2030 (FP2030) at the United Nations Foundation.

13 May 2021

Increased symptomatic levels of COVID-19 may be associated with psychiatric symptoms

A significant level of symptoms of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress may follow COVID-19 independent of any previous psychiatric diagnoses, according to new research by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health with colleagues at Universidade Municipal de São Caetano do Sul in Brazil.

7 May 2021

Evidence on effectiveness of digital mental health interventions for adolescents remains inconclusive

An increasing number of digital mental health interventions are designed for adolescents and young people with a range of mental health issues, but the evidence on their effectiveness is mixed, according to research by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Spark Street Advisors.

30 Apr 2021

Using naturalistic driving data for early detection of mild cognitive impairment and dementia

Using naturalistic driving data and machine learning techniques, researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Columbia's Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science have developed highly accurate algorithms for detecting mild cognitive impairment and dementia in older drivers.

28 Apr 2021

Despite global efforts, allocation and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines are not equitable

Ensuring COVID-19 vaccine access for refugee and displaced populations, and addressing health inequities, is vital for an effective pandemic response.

20 Apr 2021

WHO releases new strategy on water, sanitation and hygiene to end neglected tropical diseases

Today, on World Water Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) released its strategy on water, sanitation and hygiene as part of joint efforts by the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and the neglected tropical diseases (NTD) sectors towards ending these diseases over the next decade.

23 Mar 2021

International research project to improve knowledge on climate change and health impacts

Climate change is according to the WHO the greatest threat to human health in the 21st century. By bringing together leaders in climate change and health research, this international project will contribute with knowledge and policy advice on climate change and health impacts.

10 Dec 2020

Global analysis tracks the impact of climate change on human health

Unless we take urgent action to tackle climate change, we can expect an ever-hotter world that threatens global health, disrupts lives and livelihoods and overwhelms healthcare systems, according to The Lancet's Global Countdown on Health and Climate Change, a comprehensive global analysis tracking the impact of climate change on human health across 41 key indicators.

7 Dec 2020

WHO releases a series of SIDS Health and Climate Change Country Profiles

Small Island Developing States are among the most vulnerable nations to climate change in the world. Yet, many island states are also leading in the global response to climate change, through ambitious emissions reduction targets, adaptation actions, and developing climate resilient health systems.

3 Nov 2020

How climate change is putting doctors in the hot seat

A 4-year-old girl was rushed to the emergency room three times in one week for asthma attacks.

20 Apr 2020

Researchers develop high-resolution forecast model for the spread of malaria

Climate change aggravates global health problems, above all for people in Africa. The group "Climate change and Health in Sub-Saharan Africa" funded by the German Research Foundation studies climate-induced damage to health in Burkina Faso and Kenya.

13 Feb 2020

BIDMC and Harvard launch first-of-its-kind Climate and Human Health Fellowship

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, the Harvard FXB Center for Health and Human Rights and the Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (Harvard C-CHANGE), have launched a first-of-its-kind Climate and Human Health Fellowship.

22 Nov 2019

Geoengineering still lacks a ‘clean bill of health’

Radical solutions to climate change might save lives, but a commentary in the October 2018 issue of the journal Nature Climate Change calls for caution because geoengineering still lacks a "clean bill of health."

29 Sep 2018

Young children are more vulnerable to climate-related health risks, shows study

Young children are far more vulnerable to climate-related disasters and the onus is on adults to provide the protection and care that children need, according to research by Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

7 Aug 2018