Advancing our Understanding of Heat Wave Criteria and Associated Health Impacts to Improve Heat Wave Alerts in Developing Country Settings

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AuthorAmruta Nori-Sarma
AuthorTarik Benmarhnia
AuthorAjit Rajiva
AuthorGulrez Shah Azhar
AuthorPrakash Gupta
AuthorMangesh S. Pednekar
AuthorMichelle L. Bell
Date Accessioned2024-12-07T05:04:46Z
Date Available2024-12-07T05:04:46Z
Date of Publication2019
AbstractHealth effects of heat waves with high baseline temperatures in areas such as India remain a critical research gap. In these regions, extreme temperatures may affect the underlying population's adaptive capacity; heat wave alerts should be optimized to avoid continuous high alert status and enhance constrained resources, especially under a changing climate. Data from registrars and meteorological departments were collected for four communities in Northwestern India. Propensity Score Matching (PSM) was used to obtain the relative risk of mortality and number of attributable deaths (i.e., absolute risk which incorporates the number of heat wave days) under a variety of heat wave definitions (n = 13) incorporating duration and intensity. Heat waves' timing in season was also assessed for potential effect modification. Relative risk of heat waves (risk of mortality comparing heat wave days to matched non-heat wave days) varied by heat wave definition and ranged from 1.28 [95% Confidence Interval: 1.11-1.46] in Churu (utilizing the 95th percentile of temperature for at least two consecutive days) to 1.03 [95% CI: 0.87-1.23] in Idar and Himmatnagar (utilizing the 95th percentile of temperature for at least four consecutive days). The data trended towards a higher risk for heat waves later in the season. Some heat wave definitions displayed similar attributable mortalities despite differences in the number of identified heat wave days. These findings provide opportunities to assess the efficiency (or number of days versus potential attributable health impacts) associated with alternative heat wave definitions. Findings on both effect modification and trade-offs between number of days identified as heat wave versus health effects provide tools for policy makers to determine the most important criteria for defining thresholds to trigger heat wave alerts.
Identifier URIhttps://resourcerepository.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/handle/apurr/970
PublisherInt. J. Environ. Res. Public Health
Source URI/URLhttp://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16122089
KeywordKerosene use
KeywordHousehold air pollution
KeywordCardiorespiratory health
KeywordMortality outcomes
KeywordHypertension
TitleAdvancing our Understanding of Heat Wave Criteria and Associated Health Impacts to Improve Heat Wave Alerts in Developing Country Settings
Item TypeArticle
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