Among the most vulnerable are pregnant women, whose bodies are already under significant physiological strain. In The Gambia, where humidity intensifies heat stress, researchers at MRC Unit The Gambia are conducting a major study to understand how high temperatures affect maternal health and birth outcomes. 

Launched in 2023, the Gambia Heat in Pregnancy Study (GaHPS) is a four-year observational study exploring the impact of extreme heat exposure on pregnant women and their babies. The study responds to a growing body of evidence that rising global temperatures, particularly in low-resource settings, pose serious risks to maternal and newborn health. 

Conducted with collaboration from research partners in the UK, Greece, and Pakistan, GaHPS investigates both short and long-term heat exposure. Its goal is to understand how heat stress may contribute to adverse pregnancy outcomes such as premature birth, low birth weight, and other health complications. 

“Women in The Gambia have contributed almost nothing to the global climate crisis and yet they experience the impacts almost every day. With this project we hope to further the understanding of how extreme heat negatively effects pregnancy and discuss development of locally suitable, effective and sustainable solutions to directly benefit pregnant women and infants.” said Dr Ana Bonell, Assistant Professor at MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM. 

As climate change intensifies, the need for locally generated data to inform adaptive public health policies becomes increasingly urgent. GaHPS addresses this need by combining clinical studies, community engagement, and technological tools such as wearable devices to track individual heat exposure to build a detailed picture of maternal risk. The study involves ongoing monitoring of pregnant women through various stages of their pregnancies and collecting extensive data to analyse the effects of high temperatures in real-world conditions. 

Dr Ana Bonell, alongside Professor Andrew Prentice and Dr Bubacarr Bah at MRCG, are leading the project, supported by researchers from the University of Cambridge and University of Thessaly with funding from the Wellcome Trust. 

As the study progresses toward its 2027 completion date, it continues to produce insights that could influence both regional and global strategies for safeguarding maternal and child health in the face of a warming planet. GaHPS represents a critical step in building resilience where it’s needed most among those already bearing the brunt of climate change.