Atlanta, Georgia has been steadily increasing. Previous studies have indicated Atlanta has been
experiencing more heat waves due to the climate change and city heat island. The increasing
extreme heat waves are significant treats to people living in Atlanta GA, especially for sensitive
ones including pregnant women. As the 10th largest Metropolitan area in USA, Atlanta has
rapidly increased new born babies yearly. In 2016, Northside Hospital in Atlanta was name as a
leading hospital for the highest number of annual births in the United States with 27,123 births
that year. However, with this high number of annual births and the increase in heat waves more
babies may be susceptible to birth complications and more developmental disease.
The purpose of this research project is to investigate the relationship between the increase
in heat waves in the metro Atlanta area and pregnancy outcomes. Specifically, the pregnancy
outcomes that will be investigated are birth weight and preterm birth rates.
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