Indoor apparent temperature, cognition, and daytime sleepiness among low‐income adults in a temperate climate

Abstract

Due to climate change, extreme weather events are increasing, and extreme heat days are expected to warm by 3°C in the mid-latitudes by mid-century Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 1 The impacts of extreme weather events, e.g., temperatures or precipitation amounts that were observed less than 1% of the time in a historical period, such as 1981-2010, 2 disproportionately fall on vulnerable communities. These vulnerable communities include persons of color, who are more likely to live in lower quality homes and neighborhoods with fewer resources due to racially discriminatory mortgage lending practices, and individuals with low incomes, who often lack extreme temperature mitigation methods or may limit energy usage to minimize utility costs. 3 Of U.S. cities, Detroit, Michigan may be particularly vulnerable. This city of 670 000 people American Community Survey 4 lies in the Koppen climate classification group "hot summer continental

Indoor Temperature and Energy Insecurity: Implications for Prenatal Health Disparities in Extreme Heat Events

“… 24 Despite the logistical challenges they pose, epidemiological data collection methods using personal, in-home, and/or workplace temperature and humidity monitors could be informed by prior studies that have evaluated the association between indoor air pollution and pregnancy outcomes or by community engaged methods employed by environmental justice researchers. 37 – 39 Equitable physical, economic, and contextual housing conditions are necessary to ensure pregnant people’s climate resiliency, particularly in those most vulnerable on the basis of socioeconomic status or race/ethnicity. 40 The authors propose that research on the association between indoor heat exposure, energy insecurity, and pregnancy could provide an evidence base to inform potential policies and practices that can enhance resilience to extreme heat and reduce maternal/child health disparities.…”

Invited Perspective: Forging a Way Forward Amid the Enduring Impacts of Redlining

“… 21 Similarly, our ability to estimate and interpret associations between indoor temperatures and health indicators among low-income Detroiters was enhanced by insights and access provided by our community-based collaborators. 22 We applaud funding opportunities by the National Institutes of Health that require incorporating community members as research collaborators (e.g., https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-22-210.html ; https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-08-075.html ) 23 and resources being invested in training junior researchers in community-engaged work for health equity, e.g., Agents of Change ( https://agentsofchangeinej.org/ ), the JPB Environmental Health Fellows program ( https://ehfellows.sph.harvard.edu/ ), and NIEHS-supported training for pre- and postdoctoral students in environmental and social sciences, run jointly by the Social Science Environmental Health Research Institute at Northeastern University and the Silent spring Institute ( https://www.northeastern.edu/environmentalhealth/resources-for-prospective-students/niehs-research-training-program ).…”