Open AccessSocio‐demographic vulnerability to heatwave impacts in Brisbane, Australia: a time series analysis
Author(s) -
Toloo Ghasem Sam,
Guo Yuming,
Turner Lyle,
Qi Xin,
Aitken Peter,
Tong Shilu
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.946
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1753-6405
pISSN - 1326-0200
DOI - 10.1111/1753-6405.12253
Subject(s) - disadvantaged , socioeconomic status , demography , medicine , relative risk , vulnerability (computing) , confidence interval , psychological intervention , geography , distributed lag , environmental health , gerontology , population , computer security , machine learning , psychiatry , sociology , political science , computer science , law
Objective: Examining the association between socioeconomic disadvantage and heat‐related emergency department (ED) visits during heatwave periods in Brisbane, 2000–2008. Methods: Data from 10 public EDs were analysed using a generalised additive model for disease categories, age groups and gender. Results: Cumulative relative risks (RR) for non‐external causes other than cardiovascular and respiratory diseases were 1.11 and 1.05 in most and least disadvantaged areas, respectively. The pattern persisted on lags 0–2. Elevated risks were observed for all age groups above 15 years in all areas. However, with RRs of 1.19–1.28, the 65–74 years age group in more disadvantaged areas stood out, compared with RR=1.08 in less disadvantaged areas. This pattern was observed on lag 0 but did not persist. The RRs for male presentations were 1.10 and 1.04 in most and less disadvantaged areas; for females, RR was 1.04 in less disadvantaged areas. This pattern persisted across lags 0–2. Conclusions: Heat‐related ED visits increased during heatwaves. However, due to overlapping confidence intervals, variations across socioeconomic areas should be interpreted cautiously. Implications: ED data may be utilised for monitoring heat‐related health impacts, particularly on the first day of heatwaves, to facilitate prompt interventions and targeted resource allocation.