Korea Adaptation Center for Climate Change, Korea Environment Institute, Sejong, 30147, Korea.
Department of Geography, Kongju National University, Gongju, 32588, Korea.
Sci Rep. 2024 Oct 21;14(1):24732. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-75224-4.
The increasing frequency and intensity of heat waves due to climate change and urbanization have caused serious public health problems, especially in urban areas in which the heat effects are amplified by dense infrastructure and limited green space. This study examined the impact of heatwaves on vulnerable populations in Korean cities, focusing on how age, income, and disability are associated with higher health risks. In our study, we analyzed healthcare big data from 2010 to 2022 for seven major Korean cities. We employed a distributed lag non-linear model to assess the relationship between heat exposure and health outcomes, allowing us to quantify the compounded vulnerabilities due to socioeconomic and physical factors. The results showed that the association of compounded vulnerability was more pronounced in patients hospitalized through the emergency room, a severe health outcome, than in patients with mild health outcome such as outpatient visits for heat-related illnesses. The association of compounded vulnerability was particularly evident in the elderly population. These findings suggest the need for tailored heatwave preparedness strategies for vulnerable groups, contributing to the broader discourse on climate adaptation and public health resilience.
由于气候变化和城市化，热浪的频率和强度不断增加，这给公共健康带来了严重问题，特别是在城市地区，密集的基础设施和有限的绿地使热效应放大。本研究调查了热浪对韩国城市弱势群体的影响，重点研究了年龄、收入和残疾如何与更高的健康风险相关。在我们的研究中，我们分析了 2010 年至 2022 年来自韩国七个主要城市的医疗保健大数据。我们采用分布式滞后非线性模型来评估热暴露与健康结果之间的关系，从而能够量化由于社会经济和物理因素导致的复合脆弱性。结果表明，在因与热有关的疾病而接受门诊治疗的轻度健康结果的患者中，复合脆弱性的关联不如在通过急诊室住院的严重健康结果的患者中明显。复合脆弱性的关联在老年人群中尤为明显。这些发现表明，需要为弱势群体制定有针对性的热浪防范策略，这有助于更广泛地讨论气候适应和公共卫生弹性。
