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BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Environmental Health and Exposome
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1529706
Climate Change and Women's Cancer in the MENA Region: Assessing Temperature-Related Health Impacts
Provisionally accepted- Institute of Global Health and Human Ecology, American University in Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Introduction: Climate change poses a significant threat to public health, exacerbating health inequalities. Women in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, identified as high-risk, are particularly affected.Objective: This study investigates the influence of rising temperatures on cancer prevalence and mortality among women in the MENA region, filling critical knowledge gaps.Methods: We employed Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) analysis to examine the correlation between increased ambient temperatures and the prevalence and mortality of four types of cancer (breast, cervical, ovarian, and uterine) across 17 MENA countries.Results: Our analysis indicates a significant correlation between prolonged exposure to high ambient temperatures and all four cancer types studied. Notably, the prevalence of breast, ovarian, and cervical cancers is markedly influenced by temperature increases.Conclusion: The findings underscore the necessity of incorporating climate change adaptation strategies into national cancer control plans. Such integration is vital to mitigate the health impacts of climate change on women’s cancer prevalence and mortality in the MENA region.
Keywords: Women's Health, MENA region, ambient temperature, Cancer Prevalence and Mortality, climate change and health
Received: 19 Nov 2024; Accepted: 24 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Abuelkheir Mataria and Chun. 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:
Sungsoo Chun, Institute of Global Health and Human Ecology, American University in Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
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