Drought assessment and linkages with selected pregnancy outcomes in India using satellite-based aridity analysis and large-scale data, 2019–2021

[摘要] Despite substantial progress in maternal and child health over recent decades, India continues to face a considerable burden of adverse pregnancy outcomes, while the role of environmental stressors such as drought remains insufficiently understood. This study examined whether drought exposure during pregnancy was associated with preterm birth, low birth weight, and miscarriage in 2019–2021. Drought was measured with a Satellite-Based Aridity Index derived from MODIS data, and pregnancy outcomes were taken from the National Family Health Survey (2019–2021). Spatial analysis identified 52 districts where drought and adverse outcomes clustered. Logistic regression showed that women exposed to drought during pregnancy had higher odds of preterm birth (unadjusted OR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.11, 1.21; adjusted OR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.07, 1.17) and low birth weight (unadjusted OR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.14, 1.23; adjusted OR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.13). Although miscarriage was associated with drought exposure in the unadjusted analysis (OR = 1.07, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.13), this association was no longer significant after adjustment for covariates (AOR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.93, 1.04). The spline analysis indicated a nonlinear association: the odds of low birth weight and miscarriage increased up to moderate-to-high drought exposure before attenuating at the highest exposure levels, whereas the odds of preterm birth increased more sharply with increasing drought exposure. The findings underscore the need to integrate environmental risk assessments into maternal health planning.

[发布日期] 2026-09-25

[关键词] Drought;Preterm birth;Miscarriage;Low birth weight;Pregnancy outcomes