University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2011 Dec;8(12):4679-701. doi: 10.3390/ijerph8124679. Epub 2011 Dec 16.
Heat Alert and Response Systems (HARS) are currently undergoing testing and implementation in Canada. These programs seek to reduce the adverse health effects of heat waves on human health by issuing weather forecasts and warnings, informing individuals about possible protections from excessive heat, and providing such protections to vulnerable subpopulations and individuals at risk. For these programs to be designed effectively, it is important to know how individuals perceive the heat, what their experience with heat-related illness is, how they protect themselves from excessive heat, and how they acquire information about such protections. In September 2010, we conducted a survey of households in 5 cities in Canada to study these issues. At the time of the survey, these cities had not implemented heat outreach and response systems. The study results indicate that individuals' recollections of recent heat wave events were generally accurate. About 21% of the sample reported feeling unwell during the most recent heat spell, but these illnesses were generally minor. Only in 25 cases out of 243, these illnesses were confirmed or diagnosed by a health care professional. The rate at which our respondents reported heat-related illnesses was higher among those with cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses, was higher among younger respondents and bore no relationship with the availability of air conditioning at home. Most of the respondents indicated that they would not dismiss themselves as "not at risk" and that they would cope with excessive heat by staying in air conditioned environments and keeping well hydrated. Despite the absence of heat outreach and education programs in their city, our respondents at least a rough idea of how to take care of themselves. The presence of air conditioning and knowledge of cooling centers is location-specific, which provides opportunities for targeting HARS interventions.
高温预警和响应系统（HARS）目前正在加拿大进行测试和实施。这些项目旨在通过发布天气预报和警报，向个人提供有关防范过热的信息，并为弱势群体和易受伤害的个人提供保护，从而减少热浪对人类健康的不利影响。为了有效地设计这些项目，了解个人如何感知高温、他们与热相关疾病的经历、他们如何保护自己免受高温影响以及他们如何获取有关这些保护的信息非常重要。2010 年 9 月，我们在加拿大的 5 个城市进行了一项家庭调查，以研究这些问题。在调查时，这些城市尚未实施高温外展和响应系统。研究结果表明，个人对最近热浪事件的回忆通常是准确的。大约 21%的样本报告在最近的热浪中感到不适，但这些疾病通常较轻。在 243 例中，只有 25 例经医疗保健专业人员确认或诊断患有此类疾病。在我们的受访者中，患有心血管和呼吸系统疾病的人报告的与热相关的疾病发病率较高，年轻人的发病率较高，与家中是否有空调无关。大多数受访者表示，他们不会认为自己“没有风险”，并且会通过呆在有空调的环境中并保持充足的水分来应对过热。尽管他们所在的城市没有高温外展和教育项目，但我们的受访者至少对如何照顾自己有了大致的了解。空调的存在和对降温中心的了解是特定于位置的，这为高温预警系统干预提供了机会。
