HIGH Horizons - Report on suitability and implementation considerations of heat-MNCH indicators

This document, deliverable D5.1, reports on the potential performance and suitability of a set of indicators to help to track and monitor the adverse effects of heat exposure on maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH). The report summarises country and global stakeholder consultations via key informant interviews (KIIs) with the aim of informing and guiding the operationalisation of potential heat-MNCH indicators for routine use in countries. 

For the key informant interviews with country and global stakeholders, a mixed-methods approach was used, combining KIIs, document review, and country-context analysis to assess potential heat-MNCH indicators across four dimensions: availability (whether data is routinely collected in health systems), feasibility (whether systems have the capacity to integrate indicators), usability (whether data could be used for operational decisions), and appropriateness (whether indicators reflect local vulnerability and priorities).

Participants were selected through purposive and snowball sampling and included government officials, researchers, NGOs, international organisations, and implementation partners. A total of 43 participants contributed (8 global experts; 35 country-level interviews across Bangladesh (n=7), India (n=11), Pakistan (n=6), and Thailand (n=11). Global stakeholder interviews involved policy researchers, WHO and UN staff, public health professionals, and implementation specialists with expertise spanning climate and health, surveillance, and heat–health action planning, drawn from organisations across Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America.