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Unveiling the Unseen Illness: Public Health Warnings and Heat Stroke

Author

Listed:
  • Lester Lusher

    (Department of Economics, University of Pittsburgh)

  • Tim Ruberg

    (Department of Economics, University of Hohenheim)

Abstract

We utilize region-day variation in actual vs. forecasted wet bulb globe temperatures (i.e. forecasting errors) to investigate the effects of the first comprehensive heathealth warning system in Japan. We find that heat alerts led to an increase in heat stroke counts of 17%. An analysis of mechanisms utilizing several datasets suggests the effect is due to increased reporting, as opposed to potential “adverse†behaviors or substitution in health diagnoses. We further find that four times as many heat strokes are detected in low-income neighborhoods compared to high-income neighborhoods, highlighting severe environmental inequalities in health reporting behavior.

Suggested Citation

  • Lester Lusher & Tim Ruberg, 2024. "Unveiling the Unseen Illness: Public Health Warnings and Heat Stroke," Keio-IES Discussion Paper Series 2024-020, Institute for Economics Studies, Keio University.
    • Handle: RePEc:keo:dpaper:2024-020
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    File URL: https://ies.keio.ac.jp/upload/DP2024-020_EN.pdf
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    heat stroke; climate change; warning effectiveness; avoidance behavior;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D90 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - General
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming

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