Climate Events, Food Environment, and Nutritional Outcomes: A Scoping Review.
6 affiliations
- 1Department of Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
- 2Department of Clinical and Social Nutrition, School of Nutrition, Federal University of Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Brazil.
- 3Department of Nutrition, School of Nursing, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Av. Prof. Alfredo Balena, 190 - Santa Efigênia, Belo Horizonte, MG, 30130-100, Brazil.
- 4Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
- 5Department of Applied Nutrition, Institute of Nutrition, Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- 6Department of Nutrition, School of Nursing, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Av. Prof. Alfredo Balena, 190 - Santa Efigênia, Belo Horizonte, MG, 30130-100, Brazil. [email protected].
Abstract
Purpose of review
This scoping review aims to present the scientific literature on the associations of climate events (extreme weather events and climate variability) with anthropometric outcomes, food security, and the food environment. It aims to map evidence, analyze the existing findings, identify gaps, and improve the understanding of how climate events are associated with these outcomes, offering insights into the development of intersectoral actions in the face of the emerging risks of the climate crisis.Recent findings
From the 78 included studies (47.4% published after 2021), most were conducted in Africa (50.0%) and focused on children under five years old (82.0%). Child undernutrition, particularly stunting (50.0%), was the most studied outcome. Few studies addressed food security (12.8%) or the food environment (3.8%). Climate variability (rainfall and/or temperature) was the most frequent exposure (71.7%), while 35.8% evaluated extreme weather events. Evidence indicates that precipitation variability - such as rainfall anomalies - are associated with child stunting and increased food insecurity. Furthermore, increases in mean temperature and heatwaves were linked to reductions in children's weight-for-height, weight-for-age, and birth weight in most studies. The literature demonstrates significant associations of climate events with nutritional status, notably the association between climate variability and child undernutrition. However, it lacks intersectional approaches and comprehensive analyses of outcomes like obesity, food insecurity, and the food environment, as well as extreme weather events. More in-depth, context-oriented research is needed to advance knowledge regarding the relationships of these different types of climate events with different outcomes across various contexts, effectively guiding mitigation and food security policies.
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BibTeX
@article{carvalho2026climate,
title = {{Climate Events, Food Environment, and Nutritional Outcomes: A Scoping Review.}},
author = {Brenda da Cunha Carvalho and Ariene Silva Carmo and Letícia Lopes Vieira and Raquel Canuto and Dafne Pavão Schattschneider and Tamires Nunes Dos Santos and Daniela Canella and Larissa Loures Mendes},
journal = {Current nutrition reports},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1007/s13668-026-00809-6},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42955170},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Climate Events, Food Environment, and Nutritional Outcomes: A Scoping Review.
AU - Brenda da Cunha Carvalho
AU - Ariene Silva Carmo
AU - Letícia Lopes Vieira
AU - Raquel Canuto
AU - Dafne Pavão Schattschneider
AU - Tamires Nunes Dos Santos
AU - Daniela Canella
AU - Larissa Loures Mendes
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/29
JO - Current nutrition reports
DO - 10.1007/s13668-026-00809-6
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42955170
AB - Purpose of review This scoping review aims to present the scientific literature on the associations of climate events (extreme weather events and climate variability) with anthropometric outcomes, food security, and the food environment. It aims to map evidence, analyze the existing findings, identify gaps, and improve the understanding of how climate events are associated with these outcomes, offering insights into the development of intersectoral actions in the face of the emerging risks of the climate crisis.Recent findings From the 78 included studies (47.4% published after 2021), most were conducted in Africa (50.0%) and focused on children under five years old (82.0%). Child undernutrition, particularly stunting (50.0%), was the most studied outcome. Few studies addressed food security (12.8%) or the food environment (3.8%). Climate variability (rainfall and/or temperature) was the most frequent exposure (71.7%), while 35.8% evaluated extreme weather events. Evidence indicates that precipitation variability - such as rainfall anomalies - are associated with child stunting and increased food insecurity. Furthermore, increases in mean temperature and heatwaves were linked to reductions in children's weight-for-height, weight-for-age, and birth weight in most studies. The literature demonstrates significant associations of climate events with nutritional status, notably the association between climate variability and child undernutrition. However, it lacks intersectional approaches and comprehensive analyses of outcomes like obesity, food insecurity, and the food environment, as well as extreme weather events. More in-depth, context-oriented research is needed to advance knowledge regarding the relationships of these different types of climate events with different outcomes across various contexts, effectively guiding mitigation and food security policies.
SN - 2161-3311
ER -