Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma and Lung Biology, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2024 Aug 1;79(8). doi: 10.1093/gerona/glae164.
Vulnerable populations across the United States are frequently exposed to extreme heat, which is becoming more intense due to a combination of climate change and urban-induced warming. Extreme heat can be particularly detrimental to the health and well-being of older citizens when it is combined with ozone. Although population-based studies have demonstrated associations between ozone, extreme heat, and human health, few studies focused on the role of social and behavioral factors that increase indoor risk and exposure among older adults.
We conducted a household survey that aimed to understand how older adults are affected by extreme heat and ozone pollution inside and outside of their homes across Houston, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. We examine contributing factors to the risk of self-reported health effects using a generalized linear mixed-effects regression model of telephone survey data of 909 older adults in 2017.
We found an increased occurrence of self-reported symptoms for extreme heat with preexisting respiratory health conditions and a lack of air conditioning access; self-reported ozone symptoms were more likely with preexisting respiratory health conditions. The risk of heat-related symptoms was slightly higher in Los Angeles than Houston and Phoenix. We found several demographic, housing, and behavioral characteristics that influenced the risk of heat- and ozone-related symptoms.
The increased risk among older adults based on specific social and behavioral factors identified in this study can inform public health policy and help cities tailor their heat and ozone response plans to the specific needs of this vulnerable population.
美国各地的弱势群体经常暴露在极端高温下，由于气候变化和城市引发的变暖，这种情况变得更加严重。当极端高温与臭氧结合时，对老年公民的健康和福祉尤其不利。尽管基于人群的研究已经证明了臭氧、极端高温和人类健康之间存在关联，但很少有研究关注增加老年人室内风险和暴露的社会和行为因素。
我们进行了一项家庭调查，旨在了解休斯顿、凤凰城和洛杉矶的老年人在家庭内外如何受到极端高温和臭氧污染的影响。我们使用 2017 年对 909 名老年人进行的电话调查数据的广义线性混合效应回归模型，研究了自我报告健康影响的风险因素。
我们发现，患有预先存在的呼吸健康状况且无法使用空调的老年人，自我报告的极端高温症状发生率增加；患有预先存在的呼吸健康状况的老年人，自我报告的臭氧症状更有可能出现。与休斯顿和凤凰城相比，洛杉矶的热相关症状风险略高。我们发现了一些影响热和臭氧相关症状风险的人口统计学、住房和行为特征。
本研究中确定的特定社会和行为因素导致老年人的风险增加，可以为公共卫生政策提供信息，并帮助城市根据这一脆弱群体的具体需求调整其高温和臭氧应对计划。
