WHY PROTECT YOURSELF FROM EXTREME HEAT?
Exposure to extremely hot weather is linked to preterm birth and low birth weight. Preterm birth is when a baby is born early--37 weeks or sooner. Babies born too early and babies with low birth weights are more likely to die in their first year of life.
Black women experience the highest rates of preterm birth, low birth weight babies, and infant mortality than any other racial/ethnic group in Fresno.
WHY ARE BLACK WOMEN AT THE HIGHEST RISK DURING HOT WEATHER?
Studies have found that pregnant Black women and women of color are more impacted by heat exposure than white women. One study found that pregnant Black women are hospitalized more than other women due to heat exposure. [1] Black women are more likely to live in lower quality housing with less air-conditioning coverage. They are also more likely to live in unfinished neighborhoods with less green space and more asphalt. Concrete asphalt such as pavement and buildings absorb and re-emit heat more than natural landscapes. In both rural and urban areas, these structures can become "heat islands" with higher temperature than their surrounding areas.