Reducing Social Disparities of Heatwave Impacts in a Changing Climate

Principal Investigator

Marie O'Neill

Co-Investigators

Michael Hughes, Melissa Stults, Richard Rood, Sabrina McCormick, Edith Parker, Joel Schwartz, Antonella Zanobetti, Kristie Ebi

Funding Sources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

About this Project

Climate change is projected to increase the frequency and intensity of heatwaves, and heat is already one of the principal weather-related causes of mortality in the U.S. Heat affects certain populations disproportionately, including African Americans and Latinos, city-dwellers, the elderly and the less affluent. The contribution of heatwaves to social disparities in health is an important target for translational research since several preventive interventions exist. Heatwave health warning systems (HHWS), heat island mitigation through tree planting and other measures, and other programs administered by local governments are evidence-based interventions that improve quality of life, foster environmental sustainability, and protect public health during heatwaves. With increasing evidence for accelerated climate change, wider implementation of these programs is needed. This project aims to provide insights into how HHWS and other evidence-based interventions can be translated to other settings to better protect public health and reduce social disparities, thus fostering their more widespread and effective adoption. A multi-disciplinary team, with expertise in epidemiology, sociology, health education, statistics, meteorology, applied public health, and local action and governance, will conduct a mixed-method study in four U.S. cities (Detroit, MI; New York, NY; Philadelphia, PA; and Phoenix, AZ). These cities are at varying stages in implementing HHWS and climate change adaptation programs and include diverse populations with documented racial/ethnic and socio-economic disparities in heat exposure and heat-related health effects. Using qualitative and quantitative methodology we will analyze historical data (1989-2000) in the four cities, comparing daily weather parameters (temperature and heat indices and air mass types) and the degree to which they differ in their associations with excess daily mortality by population group, accounting for air pollution.