Study: El Nino Was So Bad One Year That It Actually Made Kids Shorter

The most severe El Nino event on record was particularly devastating to the infrastructure in Peru, damaging roads and bridges, but its long-term effect on health is becoming more clear.

A new study found that the extreme weather event limiting access to food and clean water actually stunted children's growth. The study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that children in Peru born during and after the 1997-98 El Nino event were shorter than those born before. 

"Weather variability plays an important role in growth and nutrition in resource-limited settings," William Checkley with the university said in a statement. "The results are surprising in the sense that we were able to measure an adverse effect on child growth many years after the original 1997-98 El Nino event."

Honduras and the rest of Central America has been hit by a major drought that has killed thousands of cattle, dried up crops and forced cities to ration electricity. Honduras, Costa Rica and Guatemala have declared emergencies in the worst affected areas to speed up aid delivery. The lack of rain has been blamed on the probable arrival of the El Nino weather phenomenon, which is characterized by unusually warm Pacific ocean temperatures that can trigger droughts. (AFP/Orlando SIERRA)

Stunting was seen more frequently in children who were born closer to the El Nino event, compared to those born in later years. But three years after the severe event, shorter than expected average heights still resulted. In addition to height, muscle mass was also reduced in children born closer to El Nino as well.

In addition to malnutrition, El Nino events, which occur every two to seven years, in less developed communities also leads to increased disease outbreaks.

"Just as rings act as indicators of natural disasters experienced by a tree, exposure to severe weather events can leave a long-lasting mark in children," Checkley said.

According to New Scientist, stunting has been associated with other effects on a person's physical and mental health, such as being linked to heart disease.

With climate change models predicting that El Nino events will increase in the future, Checkly said it "may continue to negatively impact future generations." Armed with the evidence that extreme weather can lead to malnutrition that stunts growth with other possible health effects to follow, the scientists say there should be an increased focus on issuing supplies and relief ahead of and during future El Nino events in the most severely impacted area.

This research was published in the journal Climate Change Responses.

(H/T: io9)