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Understanding Weather and Hospital Admissions Patterns to Inform Climate Change Adaptation Strategies in the Healthcare Sector in Uganda

Author

Listed:
  • Katherine E. Bishop-Williams

    (Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada)

  • Lea Berrang-Ford

    (Indigenous Health Adaptation to Climate Change Research Team: Cesar Carcamo, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
    Priestley International Centre for Climate, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK)

  • Jan M. Sargeant

    (Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
    Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada)

  • David L. Pearl

    (Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada)

  • Shuaib Lwasa

    (Indigenous Health Adaptation to Climate Change Research Team: Cesar Carcamo, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
    Department of Geography, Geo-Informatics and Climatic Sciences, School of Forestry, Environmental and Geographical Sciences, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda)

  • Didacus Bambaiha Namanya

    (Indigenous Health Adaptation to Climate Change Research Team: Cesar Carcamo, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
    Ministry of Health, Kampala, Uganda
    Faculty of Health Sciences, Uganda Martyrs University, Kampala, Uganda)

  • Victoria L. Edge

    (Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
    Indigenous Health Adaptation to Climate Change Research Team: Cesar Carcamo, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
    Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, ON K1A 019, Canada)

  • Ashlee Cunsolo

    (Labrador Institute, Memorial University, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, NL A0P 1E0, Canada)

  • IHACC Research Team

    (Indigenous Health Adaptation to Climate Change Research Team: Cesar Carcamo, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada)

  • Bwindi Community Hospital

    (Bwindi Community Hospital, Kanungu District 2JJ8+GP, Uganda)

  • Yi Huang

    (Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada)

  • James Ford

    (Indigenous Health Adaptation to Climate Change Research Team: Cesar Carcamo, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
    Priestley International Centre for Climate, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK)

  • Patricia Garcia

    (Indigenous Health Adaptation to Climate Change Research Team: Cesar Carcamo, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
    Facultad de Salud Publica y Administracion, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima 15102, Peru)

  • Sherilee L. Harper

    (Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
    Indigenous Health Adaptation to Climate Change Research Team: Cesar Carcamo, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
    School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada)

Abstract

Background: Season and weather are associated with many health outcomes, which can influence hospital admission rates. We examined associations between hospital admissions (all diagnoses) and local meteorological parameters in Southwestern Uganda, with the aim of supporting hospital planning and preparedness in the context of climate change. Methods : Hospital admissions data and meteorological data were collected from Bwindi Community Hospital and a satellite database of weather conditions, respectively (2011 to 2014). Descriptive statistics were used to describe admission patterns. A mixed-effects Poisson regression model was fitted to investigate associations between hospital admissions and season, precipitation, and temperature. Results: Admission counts were highest for acute respiratory infections, malaria, and acute gastrointestinal illness, which are climate-sensitive diseases. Hospital admissions were 1.16 (95% CI: 1.04, 1.31; p = 0.008) times higher during extreme high temperatures (i.e., >95th percentile) on the day of admission. Hospital admissions association with season depended on year; admissions were higher in the dry season than the rainy season every year, except for 2014. Discussion : Effective adaptation strategy characteristics include being low-cost and quick and practical to implement at local scales. Herein, we illustrate how analyzing hospital data alongside meteorological parameters may inform climate-health planning in low-resource contexts.

Suggested Citation

  • Katherine E. Bishop-Williams & Lea Berrang-Ford & Jan M. Sargeant & David L. Pearl & Shuaib Lwasa & Didacus Bambaiha Namanya & Victoria L. Edge & Ashlee Cunsolo & IHACC Research Team & Bwindi Communit, 2018. "Understanding Weather and Hospital Admissions Patterns to Inform Climate Change Adaptation Strategies in the Healthcare Sector in Uganda," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-14, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:15:y:2018:i:11:p:2402-:d:179111
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Carla Roncoli & Benjamin Orlove & Merit Kabugo & Milton Waiswa, 2011. "Cultural styles of participation in farmers’ discussions of seasonal climate forecasts in Uganda," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 28(1), pages 123-138, February.
    2. Ford, J.D., 2012. "Indigenous health and climate change," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 102(7), pages 1260-1266.
    3. Whitman, S. & Good, G. & Donoghue, E.R. & Benbow, N. & Shou, W. & Mou, S., 1997. "Mortality in Chicago attributed to the July 1995 heat wave," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 87(9), pages 1515-1518.
    4. W. Neil Adger & Jon Barnett & Katrina Brown & Nadine Marshall & Karen O'Brien, 2013. "Cultural dimensions of climate change impacts and adaptation," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 3(2), pages 112-117, February.
    5. Wang, Limin & Kanji, Shireen & Bandyopadhyay, Sushenjit, 2009. "The health impact of extreme weather events in Sub-Saharan Africa," Policy Research Working Paper Series 4979, The World Bank.
    6. Persson, Torsten & Strömberg, David & Kudamatsu, Masayuki, 2012. "Weather and Infant Mortality in Africa," CEPR Discussion Papers 9222, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
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    Cited by:

    1. Kamar Naser & Zaeem Haq & Bernard D. Naughton, 2024. "The Impact of Climate Change on Health Services in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematised Review and Thematic Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(4), pages 1-22, April.

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