Publications

Our publications include peer-reviewed journal articles, conference papers, and HIGH Horizons project deliverables for the EU.

Indicators & data analyses of impact of heat on maternal, newborn and child health

  • Lokubal P, Part C, Kovats S, et al. Ambient temperature extremes and neonatal mortality: a time-stratified case- crossover analysis using Demographic and Health Survey data from East Africa (2011–2022). BMJ Public Health 2026;4:e004085. doi:10.1136/bmjph-2025-004085
  • Holvoet E, Lokubal P, Chersich M, et al. The Impact of Ambient Heat on Perinatal and Neonatal Health in the Context of Climate Change: A Scoping Review. Curr Envir Health Rpt 13, 29 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40572-026-00549-3
  • Bao M, Nobile F, Koureas M, Bottini I, Fomenko E, Brimicombe C, Tirado V, Mouchtouri V, Hadjichristodoulou C, Ljungman P, Chersich M, Jackson D, Luchters S, Stephansson O, Stafoggia M, de Bont J. Trimester-specific exposure to multiple heat indicators and adverse birth outcomes across four European countries. Environmental Research, Volume 96, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2026.124092
  • Bao M, Nobile F, Koureas M, Bottini I, Fomenko E, Brimicombe C, Tirado V, Mouchtouri V, Hadjichristodoulou C, Ljungman P, Chersich M, Jackson D, Luchters S, Stephansson O, Stafoggia M, de Bont J, for the HIGH Horizons Study Group. (2026). HIGH Horizons – Long term heat exposure during pregnancy and effects on perinatal health: Data
    analysis protocol, codes and R scripts. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18864746
  • Fomenko E, Leroy C, Michel S, Van Leeuw V, Bentouhami H, Luchters S, au nom du groupe de recherche HIGH Horizons. Exposition à la chaleur durant la grossesse : conséquences périnatales à court et long terme en Régions bruxelloise et wallonne. Studiecentrum voor Perinatale Epidemiologie & Centre d’Epidémiologie Périnatale;
    2026. https://cepip.sharepoint.com/sites/SCIENTIFIQUE/Documents partages/ETUDESCEPIP/CLIMAT/High Horizons – Final
  • Brimicombe C, Jackson D, Mung’atia A, Sulaiman Z, Monthaler T, Wieser K, Otto IM; HIGH Horizons Study Group. The influence of heat exposure on birth and neonatal outcomes in Mombasa, Kenya: a pooled time series analysis. The Journal of Climate Change and Health. 2025. 100409. doi:10.1016/j.joclim.2024.100409
  • Charvalis G, Koureas M, Brimicombe C, Bogogiannidou C, Kalala F, Mouchtouri V, Hadjichristodoulou C; HIGH Horizons Study Group. Daily time series of 12 human thermal stress indices in Greece, aggregated at commune level (1998–2022). Data in Brief. 2025. doi:10.1016/j.dib.2024.111264
  • Lakhoo DP, Brink N, Radebe L, Craig MH, Pham MD, Haghighi MM, Wise A, Solarin I, Luchters S, Maimela G, Chersich MF; Heat-Health Study Group; HIGH Horizons Study Group. A systematic review and meta-analysis of heat exposure impacts on maternal, fetal and neonatal health. Nat Med. 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41591-024-03395-8
  • Brimicombe C, Conway F, Portela A, Lakhoo D, Roos N, Gao C, et al. A scoping review on heat indices used to measure the effects of heat on maternal and perinatal health. BMJ Public Health. 2024;2:e000308. doi: 10.1136/bmjph-2023-000308
  • Brink N, Lakhoo DP, Solarin I, et al. Impacts of heat exposure in utero on long-term health and social outcomes: a systematic review. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2024;24(1):344. Published 2024 May 4. doi:10.1186/s12884-024-06512-0
  • Brimicombe C, Wieser K, Monthaler T, Jackson D, De Bont J, Chersich MF, Otto IM. Effects of ambient heat exposure on risk of all-cause mortality in children younger than 5 years in Africa: a pooled time-series analysis. The Lancet Planetary Health. 2024. doi: 10.1016/S2542-5196(24)00160-8
  • (D4.3) Wieser K, Madondo C, Maguma J, Portela A, Jackson D, Gerlach N, et al. HIGH Horizons – Annual report on MNCH indicator application 2. Zenodo; 2025 Aug. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17793505
  • Project Deliverable: Lakhoo DP, Holvoet E, Solarin I, Sawry S, Mwase N, Lalloo N, et al. HIGH Horizons – Reviews on the association between heat exposure and perinatal health outcomes. Zenodo; 2025 Aug. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17843499
  • Project Deliverable: Radebe L, Bao M, Koureas M, Charvalis G, Nobile F, Fomenko E, et al. HIGH Horizons—Multi-country analysis of the effects of heat on pregnancy and perinatal outcomes. Zenodo; 2025 Aug. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16026771
  • Project Deliverable: Monthaler T, Wieser K, Otto IM, de Bont J, Bao M, Nobile F, et al. HIGH Horizons – Environmental and Health Databases 2. Zenodo; 2025 Aug. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16025754
  • Project Deliverable: Radebe L, Bao M, Koureas M, Charvalis G, Nobile F, Fomenko E, et al. HIGH Horizons – Multi-country analysis of the effects of heat on pregnancy and perinatal outcomes. Zenodo; 2025 Aug. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16026771
  • Project Deliverable: Brimicombe C, Madondo C, Portela A, Jackson D, Mutasa C, Machingura F, et al. HIGH Horizons – National workshops to discuss heat-health indicators. Zenodo; 2024 Aug. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13347891
  • Project Deliverable: Wieser K, Brimicombe C, Monthaler T, Otto IM, Madondo C, Machingura F, et al. HIGH Horizons – Annual report on MNCH indicator application 1. Zenodo; 2024 Aug. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15570702
  • Project Deliverable: Lakhoo DP, Brink N, Wise A, Solarin I, Luchters S, Craig M, et al. HIGH Horizons – High temperature exposure in pregnancy and adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Zenodo; 2024 Jul. https://zenodo.org/records/12779149
  • Project Deliverable: Brimicombe C, Wieser K, Otto I, Chersich M, Mpondo F, Roos N, et al. HIGH Horizons – Report on Environmental and Health Databases 1. Zenodo; 2024 Jul.
  • Project Deliverable: Brimicombe C, Wieser K, Monthaler T, Otto IM, Part C, Jackson D, et al. HIGH Horizons – Heat-health analysis report from Greek, Italian, Swedish and African data 1. Zenodo; 2024 Jul.
  • Project Deliverable: Part C, Brimicombe C, Roos N, HIGH Horizons Study Group. HIGH Horizons – Protocol for population level heat-health impact study in Greece, Italy, Kenya, South Africa and Sweden. Zenodo; 2024.
  • Czerniewska A, Brimicombe C, Saez Reale A, Shumake-Guillemot J, Sharkey A, Portela A. How is maternal, newborn, and child health addressed in Heat Health Action Plans? A scoping review and content analysis. J Glob Health. 2025;15:04157
  • Report of a scoping meeting for the selection of indicators to monitor the impact of extreme heat on maternal, newborn and child health, Geneva, Switzerland, 24-25 April 2023. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2024. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO

Early Warning System for pregnant and postpartum women and infants

Adaptation interventions to reduce heat impact on health workers

  • Ward C, Lamberti O, Greco G, HIGH Horizons Study Group. HIGH Horizons – Integrated Adaptation and Mitigation Intervention Costing Tool. Zenodo; 2026. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20271042
  • Machingura F, Chinozvina T, Luchters S, Sibanda B, Kunaka C, Nyoni L, Mutimutema B, Dangaiso E, Muronzie T, Tsvaki J, Mutasa C, Mlambo M, Chikura S, Chiworeka P, Pisa L, Makanga T, Mapiye G, Tshuma C, Lange I, Fardousi N, Chersich M, Filippi V, for the HIGH Horizons Study Group, Coping with extreme heat in primary maternity care: An ethnography of frontline health workers in rural Zimbabwe, SSM – Qualitative Research in Health, Volume 9, 2026, 100718, ISSN 2667-3215, doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmqr.2026.100718
  • Toftum J, HIGH Horizons Study Group. HIGH Horizons – User-friendly tool for heat- related risk assessment of the working environment in health facilities – CHECKLIST. Zenodo; 2025. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16895150
  • Gon G, Fardousi N. Statistical Analysis Plan: Impact of Heat Stress on Healthcare Workers' Quality of Intrapartum Care. Zenodo; 2025. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15874509
  • Lange I, Fardousi N, Gon G, Filippi V, HIGH Horizons Study Group. HIGH Horizons – Conceptual framework of heat on health worker performance and quality of care. Zenodo; 2025. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16946862
  • Project Deliverable: Fardousi N, Lange I, Machingura F, Sawry S, Toftum J, Hanson C, et al. HIGH Horizons – Health workers impact baseline analysis. Zenodo; 2025 Aug. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17472240
  • Project Deliverable: Toftum J, HIGH Horizons Study Group. HIGH Horizons – User-
    friendly tool for heat-related risk assessment of the working environment in health facilities – REPORT. Zenodo; 2025. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14942940
  • Project Deliverable: Sawry S, Madondo C, Nyakabau T, Sibanda Mqondisi B, Machingura F. HIGH Horizons – Selection and implementation of adaptation interventions in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Zenodo; 2025 Mar. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15682582
  • Project Deliverable: Toftum J, Sode Vest A, Mahdi-Waldorff A, Muronzie T, Luchters S, Parker C, et al. HIGH Horizons – Environmental exposures in health facilities. Zenodo; 2024 Jul.

Mitigation interventions to reduce health facility carbon emissions

Biomarkers of heat impacts on maternal, newborn and child health

Other Publications