Testing interventions to mitigate the health impact of heatwaves on primary school children in climate-vulnerable districts of Bangladesh

 

Heatwaves, a consequence of climate change, are causing significant health, education and economic challenges globally. School children are particularly susceptible to experiencing the worst impacts of heatwaves since they spend most of their day outdoors attending schools and participating in extracurricular activities. Children are less capable of efficiently regulating their body temperatures, and exposure to heatwaves and high temperatures may cause them to suffer from multiple health conditions.

Bangladesh experienced some of its most extreme heatwaves in 2024, causing significant health and livelihood challenges. Many of the primary schools located in the climate-vulnerable areas have iron-sheet roofing, which makes the infrastructure hotter. At the same time, the students studying in these schools do not know how to cope with extreme heat because of a lack of heat-related education.

This project aims to address the negative impacts of heatwaves on children’s health by implementing a combination of physical infrastructure and heat-education interventions in primary schools with students and key stakeholders (teachers, parents and communities) in two climate-vulnerable districts of Bangladesh. A total of 2,300 students and 92 primary schools will be considered for the study. The study will generate robust evidence on the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and feasibility of scaling up a dual intervention model to mitigate the negative impacts of heatwaves on primary school children’s health outcomes.