Assessment of Heat Exposure and Health Outcomes in Rural Populations of Western Kenya by Using Wearable Devices: Observational Case Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Climate change increasingly impacts health, particularly of rural populations in sub-Saharan Africa due to their limited resources for adaptation. Understanding these impacts remains a challenge, as continuous monitoring of vital signs in such populations is limited. Wearable devices (wearables) present a viable approach to studying these impacts on human health in real time.

Objective

The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of consumer-grade wearables in measuring the health impacts of weather exposure on physiological responses (including activity, heart rate, body shell temperature, and sleep) of rural populations in western Kenya and to identify the health impacts associated with the weather exposures.

Methods

We conducted

SUBMITTER: Matzke I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11258525 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature