Differences on the effect of heat waves on mortality by sociodemographic and urban landscape characteristics

Abstract

Sociodemographic and urban landscape characteristics are associated to mortality risk during heat waves and are useful to build heat vulnerability maps.

Factors of subjective heat stress of urban citizens in contexts of everyday life

“…The decreasing effect elements of heat protection, outdoor recreation, and thermal insulation have on the SHS at home clearly illustrates at the same time that such structural measures are felt by building inhabitants during heat waves. Unlike studies that demonstrate the proportion of green space in the residential area (Lafortezza et al, 2009;Xu et al, 2013), in the Karlsruhe survey no difference was observed in the SHS stress for the walking distance to the next public garden. Empirical research in Leipzig similarly showed only a slight relationship of perceived heat at home with green space (Franck et al, 2013) and indicated that green space contributed rather to the general SHS than to the SHS at home (Großmann et al, 2012).…”

“…Intrinsic, individual factors for higher mortality found across studies are, in particular, old age and high physiologic susceptibility because of pre-existing health problems or medication use, and also being confined to bed (Conti et al, 2007;Fouillet et al, 2006;Gronlund, 2014;Madrigano et al, 2013;Vandentorren et al, 2006;Zanobetti et al, 2013). Vandentorren et al (2006) demonstrated additionally the positive effects of individual heat-protective behavior during the heat wave in 2003, e.g., of cooling the body or going outside during cooler times of the day.…”

“…Regarding the urban built environment, increased mortality and hospital admission rates were observed in large cities with high temperatures also during the night (Conti et al, 2007;Grize et al, 2005;Laaidi et al, 2012), in areas with little surrounding green space, and in dense urban structures (Gabriel and Endlicher, 2011;Scherber et al, 2014;Xu et al, 2013). Further studies identified housing conditions, such as living in an area with low property values, in a building with low insulation standard, or having the bedroom in the attic floor, as being associated with higher mortality rates (Smargiassi et al, 2013;Vandentorren et al, 2004Vandentorren et al, , 2006Xu et al, 2013). Similarly, Harlan et al (2006) found the combination of dense urban settlement structures and low socioeconomic status to be a factor for vulnerability to heat stress.…”

“…Vandentorren et al (2006) demonstrated additionally the positive effects of individual heat-protective behavior during the heat wave in 2003, e.g., of cooling the body or going outside during cooler times of the day. Extrinsic factors for higher mortality associated with the socioeconomic status are living alone (Fouillet et al, 2006;Uejio et al, 2011), in some cases being female (Borell et al, 2006;D'Ippoliti et al, 2010;Zanobetti et al, 2013), and living in census tracts with a lower socioeconomic status and higher poverty rate (Madrigano et al 2013;Xu et al, 2013;Zanobetti et al, 2013). Studies in the US observed that ethnicity and linguistic isolation additionally played a role for both higher mortality and heat distress calls (Gronlund, 2014;Uejio et al, 2011).…”

Principal sequence pattern analysis of episodes of excess mortality due to heat in the Barcelona metropolitan area

“…As it has been previously commented, other authors have studied the relation between heat and mortality. Moreover, Xu et al (2013) focus the study in Barcelona. However, a new novelty approach based on synoptic sequences as a triggering mechanism on mortality by heat wave is proposed in this paper.…”