The Stratified Effect of Extreme Temperatures on Birth Outcomes: The Role of Energy Prices

Maria Rubio-Cabañez , Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

The effects of extreme temperatures on health at birth have been studied extensively in recent years. This study seeks to go a step further by examining how access to one of the mechanisms mothers use to protect themselves from extreme temperatures during pregnancy affects health at birth of the newborns. I focus on analyzing the affordability of sustained heating and air conditioning use during pregnancy, which depends in part on household energy prices. As identification strategy, I use a sharp increase in electricity and gas prices that occurred in Spain in March 2021 in interaction with weather conditions. In this way, I examine how the increase in energy prices affects birth outcomes through its impact on mothers’ exposure to adverse weather conditions during pregnancy, differentiating by maternal vulnerability. I find that the impact of the increase on energy prices for mothers exposed to extreme temperatures during the third trimester of pregnancy on birth weight is greater among vulnerable mothers, particularly foreign mothers.

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 Presented in Session P50. Environment and Sustainabilty