IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v10y2013i12p6721-6733d30962.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Risk Factors, Health Effects and Behaviour in Older People during Extreme Heat: A Survey in South Australia

Author

Listed:
  • Monika Nitschke

    (Department for Health and Ageing, 11 Hindmarsh Square, Adelaide SA 5000, Australia)

  • Alana Hansen

    (School of Population Health, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide SA 5005, Australia)

  • Peng Bi

    (School of Population Health, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide SA 5005, Australia)

  • Dino Pisaniello

    (School of Population Health, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide SA 5005, Australia)

  • Jonathan Newbury

    (School of Population Health, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide SA 5005, Australia)

  • Alison Kitson

    (School of Nursing, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide SA 5005, Australia)

  • Graeme Tucker

    (Department for Health and Ageing, 11 Hindmarsh Square, Adelaide SA 5000, Australia)

  • Jodie Avery

    (Population Research and Outcome Studies, Discipline of Medicine, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide SA 5005, Australia)

  • Eleonora Dal Grande

    (Population Research and Outcome Studies, Discipline of Medicine, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide SA 5005, Australia)

Abstract

Older people had a high incidence of hospitalisation during the 2009 heat wave in South Australia. We sought to explore resilience, behaviours, health risk factors and health outcomes during recent heat waves for a representative sample of independently living residents. A telephone survey of 499 people aged 65 years and over was conducted, and included both metropolitan and rural residences. A variety of adaptive strategies were reported, with 75% maintaining regular appointments and activities during the heat. However, 74% took medication for chronic disease and 25% assessed their health status to be fair to poor. In a multivariate model, factors associated with heat health outcomes included medication for mental health, heart failure, diabetes or respiratory health, reporting a reduced health status, use of mobility aids and being female. Compared with younger participants, those over 75 had more check-up calls and visits by family, friends and neighbours. However, confidence to call on support was associated with indicators of social isolation. The study indicates that older people are generally resilient, but interventions addressing multi-morbidity and medication interactions and social isolation should be developed.

Suggested Citation

  • Monika Nitschke & Alana Hansen & Peng Bi & Dino Pisaniello & Jonathan Newbury & Alison Kitson & Graeme Tucker & Jodie Avery & Eleonora Dal Grande, 2013. "Risk Factors, Health Effects and Behaviour in Older People during Extreme Heat: A Survey in South Australia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-13, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:10:y:2013:i:12:p:6721-6733:d:30962
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/10/12/6721/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/10/12/6721/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Alana Hansen & Peng Bi & Monika Nitschke & Dino Pisaniello & Jonathan Newbury & Alison Kitson, 2011. "Perceptions of Heat-Susceptibility in Older Persons: Barriers to Adaptation," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 8(12), pages 1-15, December.
    2. Vandentorren, S. & Suzan, F. & Medina, S. & Pascal, M. & Maulpoix, A. & Cohen, J.-C. & Ledrans, M., 2004. "Mortality in 13 French cities during the August 2003 heat wave," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 94(9), pages 1518-1520.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Mengmeng Li & Shaohua Gu & Peng Bi & Jun Yang & Qiyong Liu, 2015. "Heat Waves and Morbidity: Current Knowledge and Further Direction-A Comprehensive Literature Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-28, May.
    2. Alina Herrmann & Rainer Sauerborn, 2018. "General Practitioners’ Perceptions of Heat Health Impacts on the Elderly in the Face of Climate Change—A Qualitative Study in Baden-Württemberg, Germany," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-21, April.
    3. Monika Nitschke & Antoinette Krackowizer & Alana L. Hansen & Peng Bi & Graeme R. Tucker, 2017. "Heat Health Messages: A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Preventative Messages Tool in the Older Population of South Australia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-10, August.
    4. Jan C. Semenza, 2014. "Climate Change and Human Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-7, July.
    5. Junzhe Bao & Xudong Li & Chuanhua Yu, 2015. "The Construction and Validation of the Heat Vulnerability Index, a Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-15, June.
    6. An Vu & Shannon Rutherford & Dung Phung, 2019. "Heat Health Prevention Measures and Adaptation in Older Populations—A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(22), pages 1-22, November.
    7. Jing Li & Xin Xu & Guoyong Ding & Yun Zhao & Ruixia Zhao & Fuzhong Xue & Jing Li & Jinghong Gao & Jun Yang & Baofa Jiang & Qiyong Liu, 2016. "A Cross-Sectional Study of Heat Wave-Related Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice among the Public in the Licheng District of Jinan City, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-16, June.
    8. Pablo De Gea Grela & Diego Sánchez-González & Lorena Patricia Gallardo Peralta, 2024. "Urban and Rural Environments and Their Implications for Older Adults’ Adaptation to Heat Waves: A Systematic Review," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-29, August.
    9. Sabrina Cipolletta & Francesca Gris, 2021. "Older People’s Lived Perspectives of Social Isolation during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-16, November.
    10. Augusta A. Williams & John D. Spengler & Paul Catalano & Joseph G. Allen & Jose G. Cedeno-Laurent, 2019. "Building Vulnerability in a Changing Climate: Indoor Temperature Exposures and Health Outcomes in Older Adults Living in Public Housing during an Extreme Heat Event in Cambridge, MA," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-15, July.
    11. Barun Mukhopadhyay & Charles A. Weitz, 2022. "Heat Exposure, Heat-Related Symptoms and Coping Strategies among Elderly Residents of Urban Slums and Rural Vilages in West Bengal, India," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-20, September.
    12. Juliane Kemen & Silvia Schäffer-Gemein & Johanna Grünewald & Thomas Kistemann, 2021. "Heat Perception and Coping Strategies: A Structured Interview-Based Study of Elderly People in Cologne, Germany," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(14), pages 1-19, July.
    13. Kathryn Glass & Peter W. Tait & Elizabeth G. Hanna & Keith Dear, 2015. "Estimating Risks of Heat Strain by Age and Sex: A Population-Level Simulation Model," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-15, May.
    14. Kerstin K. Zander & Supriya Mathew & Stephen T. Garnett, 2018. "Exploring Heat Stress Relief Measures among the Australian Labour Force," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-15, February.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Moazami, Amin & Nik, Vahid M. & Carlucci, Salvatore & Geving, Stig, 2019. "Impacts of future weather data typology on building energy performance – Investigating long-term patterns of climate change and extreme weather conditions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 238(C), pages 696-720.
    2. Sharon L. Campbell & Carina C. Anderson & Amanda J. Wheeler & Stephen Cook & Tim Muster & Fay H. Johnston, 2022. "Managing Extreme Heat and Smoke: A Focus Group Study of Vulnerable People in Darwin, Australia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-15, October.
    3. Bo Yang & Ming-Han Li & Shujuan Li, 2013. "Design-with-Nature for Multifunctional Landscapes: Environmental Benefits and Social Barriers in Community Development," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-26, October.
    4. Joost van Hoof & Helen Bennetts & Alana Hansen & Jan K. Kazak & Veronica Soebarto, 2019. "The Living Environment and Thermal Behaviours of Older South Australians: A Multi-Focus Group Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-19, March.
    5. Fariha Hasan & Shayan Marsia & Kajal Patel & Priyanka Agrawal & Junaid Abdul Razzak, 2021. "Effective Community-Based Interventions for the Prevention and Management of Heat-Related Illnesses: A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-14, August.
    6. Susan Williams & Peng Bi & Jonathan Newbury & Guy Robinson & Dino Pisaniello & Arthur Saniotis & Alana Hansen, 2013. "Extreme Heat and Health: Perspectives from Health Service Providers in Rural and Remote Communities in South Australia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-19, October.
    7. Simon Gosling & Jason Lowe & Glenn McGregor & Mark Pelling & Bruce Malamud, 2009. "Associations between elevated atmospheric temperature and human mortality: a critical review of the literature," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 92(3), pages 299-341, February.
    8. Vaneckova, Pavla & Beggs, Paul J. & Jacobson, Carol R., 2010. "Spatial analysis of heat-related mortality among the elderly between 1993 and 2004 in Sydney, Australia," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 70(2), pages 293-304, January.
    9. Chen, Ping-Yu & Chen, Chi-Chung & Chang, Chia-Lin, 2011. "Multiple Threshold Effects for Temperature and Mortality," MPRA Paper 35521, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Rayan Mounayar & Daniel Florentin, 2022. "Enlarging the Human Climate Niche: Integrating Urban Heat Island in Urban Planning Interventions," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(4), pages 179-194.
    11. Sue Smith & Alex J. Elliot & Shakoor Hajat & Angie Bone & Chris Bates & Gillian E. Smith & Sari Kovats, 2016. "The Impact of Heatwaves on Community Morbidity and Healthcare Usage: A Retrospective Observational Study Using Real-Time Syndromic Surveillance," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-12, January.
    12. Kathryn Glass & Peter W. Tait & Elizabeth G. Hanna & Keith Dear, 2015. "Estimating Risks of Heat Strain by Age and Sex: A Population-Level Simulation Model," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-15, May.
    13. An Vu & Shannon Rutherford & Dung Phung, 2019. "Heat Health Prevention Measures and Adaptation in Older Populations—A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(22), pages 1-22, November.
    14. Xiaochao Su & Zhilong Chen & Xudong Zhao & Xiaobin Yang & Qilin Feng & Haizhou Tang, 2018. "Optimization Design of Underground Space Overburden Thickness in a Residential Area Concerning Outdoor Thermal Environment Evaluation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-15, September.
    15. Haipeng Li & Jiabao Guan & Hui Ye & Haichen Yang, 2019. "A Survey of Rural Residents’ Perception and Response to Health Risks from Hot Weather in Ethnic Minority Areas in Southwest China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(12), pages 1-10, June.
    16. R. Sari Kovats & Diarmid Campbell‐Lendrum & Franziska Matthies, 2005. "Climate Change and Human Health: Estimating Avoidable Deaths and Disease," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(6), pages 1409-1418, December.
    17. Anna Malmquist & Mattias Hjerpe & Erik Glaas & Hulda Karlsson-Larsson & Tina Lassi, 2022. "Elderly People’s Perceptions of Heat Stress and Adaptation to Heat: An Interview Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-13, March.
    18. Amruta Nori-Sarma & Tarik Benmarhnia & Ajit Rajiva & Gulrez Shah Azhar & Prakash Gupta & Mangesh S. Pednekar & Michelle L. Bell, 2019. "Advancing our Understanding of Heat Wave Criteria and Associated Health Impacts to Improve Heat Wave Alerts in Developing Country Settings," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(12), pages 1-13, June.
    19. Jing Li & Xin Xu & Guoyong Ding & Yun Zhao & Ruixia Zhao & Fuzhong Xue & Jing Li & Jinghong Gao & Jun Yang & Baofa Jiang & Qiyong Liu, 2016. "A Cross-Sectional Study of Heat Wave-Related Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice among the Public in the Licheng District of Jinan City, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-16, June.
    20. Boris Revich & Simon Avaliani & Gregory John Simons, 2016. "Air Pollution And Public Health In A Megalopolis: A Case Study Of Moscow," Economy of region, Centre for Economic Security, Institute of Economics of Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, vol. 1(4), pages 1069-1078.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:10:y:2013:i:12:p:6721-6733:d:30962. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.