Characterizing urban vulnerability to heat stress using a spatially varying coefficient model.
Spat Spatiotemporal Epidemiol
; 8: 23-33, 2014 Apr.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-24606992
ABSTRACT
Identifying and characterizing urban vulnerability to heat is a key step in designing intervention strategies to combat negative consequences of extreme heat on human health. This study combines excess non-accidental mortality counts, numerical weather simulations, US Census and parcel data into an assessment of vulnerability to heat in Houston, Texas. Specifically, a hierarchical model with spatially varying coefficients is used to account for differences in vulnerability among census block groups. Socio-economic and demographic variables from census and parcel data are selected via a forward selection algorithm where at each step the remaining variables are orthogonalized with respect to the chosen variables to account for collinearity. Daily minimum temperatures and composite heat indices (e.g. discomfort index) provide a better model fit than other ambient temperature measurements (e.g. maximum temperature, relative humidity). Positive interactions between elderly populations and heat exposure were found suggesting these populations are more responsive to increases in heat.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Urban Population
/
Heat Stress Disorders
/
Hot Temperature
Type of study:
Etiology_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Aspects:
Determinantes_sociais_saude
Limits:
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
America do norte
Language:
En
Journal:
Spat Spatiotemporal Epidemiol
Year:
2014
Document type:
Article