SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Clim.
Sec. Climate and Health
Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fclim.2025.1578012
This article is part of the Research TopicImpact of Climate Change on Disease Distribution in the TropicsView all articles
Understanding the impact of Extreme Weather Events on NCDs in sub-Saharan Africa: a Scoping Review
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
- 2Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
- 3Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
- 4Woodruff Health Sciences Center, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
- 5Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Colorado, United States
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Introduction: Sub-Saharan Africa (sSA) is undergoing an epidemiological transition, with noncommunicable chronic diseases (NCDs) rapidly becoming the leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Simultaneously, climate change is exacerbating the frequency, intensity, and duration of extreme weather events disproportionately affecting the sSA region. Extreme weather events place an immense strain on healthcare systems by destroying healthcare infrastructure and disrupting routine healthcare services, crucial for vulnerable groups such as persons living with NCDs. The objective of this scoping review is to review the current evidence on the association of climate-related extreme weather events and NCDs in sSA. Methods: PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, PsycINFO (EBSCO), Web of Science, Global Health (CABI), and Scopus (Elsevier) were searched to identify peer-reviewed publications from 1995 to 2023, examining the effects of extreme weather events-including floods, droughts, cyclones, mud or landslides, and extreme temperatures-on NCDs such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, respiratory conditions, cancer, and mental health in sSA. Three reviewers conducted abstract screening of 903 articles, full text screening of 108 articles, and data extraction of 31 articles. Results: Of the 31 included articles, 27 reported on the mental health burden associated with floods and droughts. Only four studies reported the impact of cyclones, two on mud or landslides, and three extreme temperatures on other NCDs. Furthermore, we also found a lack of geographic diversity in cited countries, with only 16 sSA countries referenced in the literature. Discussion: There is an urgent need for comprehensive research in underrepresented sSA countries impacted by climate change. Research needs to encompass a wider range of NCDs and extreme weather events. This is essential for developing effective and resilient strategies to reduce the impact of climate-related extreme weather events on NCD management and outcomes.
Keywords: NCDS, sub-Saharan Africa, extreme weather events, Climate-induced disasters, Healthcare services
Received: 17 Feb 2025; Accepted: 17 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Canda, Mehta, Pai, Peterson, Ekenga and Hassan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Erika Canda, Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, 30322, Georgia, United States
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