Investigating the impact of heatwaves in the UK (2000-2025) on inequalities in maternal, fetal
Project Title: Investigating the impact of heatwaves in the UK (2000-2025) on inequalities in maternal, fetal and neonatal outcomes using the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink
Supervisors:
Dr Kevin Wing, School of Health and Wellbeing
Prof Duncan Lee, School of Mathematics & Statistics
Prof Ruth Dundas, School of Health and Wellbeing
Summary:
As a result of man-made climate change the frequency and duration of heatwaves in the UK is increasing. Although heatwaves are frequently portrayed by UK media as positive events with pictures of beaches, ice creams and comparisons to temperatures in sunny international holiday destinations, there are established links between extreme heat and increases in adverse pregnancy outcomes, including harms to both mother and infant. Despite this, there is a notable lack of UK evidence on extreme heat and pregnancy-related outcomes. This includes how effects may differ by socioeconomic position or ethnic group and whether effects differ by specific heatwaves between 2000 and 2025.
This PhD will generate vital evidence on the association between heatwaves and pregnancy-related outcomes in the UK, including considering how effects differ by socioeconomic position and ethnicity, and investigating impacts of specific heatwaves between 2000 and 2025. To address this question, time series analyses will be applied to very large linked databases of NHS routinely collected health data.
The successful candidate will gain expertise in longitudinal study design, advanced statistical programming, the design of studies for addressing critical planetary health questions, regression methods, the study of pregnancy/maternal/neonatal outcomes and their inequalities and open science methodology.