Lay summary
Exposure to hot temperatures, even in cooler climates, can lead to significant adverse health outcomes. An estimated 37% of recent heat-related deaths globally have been attributed to human-induced climate change. In New Zealand, the effects of climate change have not been studied in detail. Nevertheless, based on overseas evidence, the burden of heat-related mortality and morbidity in New Zealand children is likely to be substantial and inequitably distributed. We will study the effect of hot weather on child health: birth outcomes (preterm birth, stillbirth), infant mortality, emergency room visits and acute hospital admissions in children aged 0-5 years. We will investigate factors that may increase heat exposure or vulnerability to heat contributing to health inequalities. We will estimate the burden of disease potentially attributable to heat exposure in children in recent and future decades under climate-change temperature-increase scenarios. We will suggest policy measures to reduce impacts on vulnerable sub-populations.