Heat and mortality in New York City since the beginning of the 20th century.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Heat is recognized as one of the deadliest weather-related phenomena. Although the impact of high temperatures on mortality has been a subject of extensive research, few previous studies have assessed the impact of population adaptation to heat.

Methods

We examined adaptation patterns by analyzing daily temperature and mortality data spanning more than a century in New York City. Using a distributed-lag nonlinear model, we analyzed the heat-mortality relation in adults age 15 years or older in New York City during 2 periods: 1900-1948 and 1973-2006, to quantify population adaptation to high temperatures over time.

Results

During the first half of the century, the decade-specific relative risk of mortality at 29°C vs. 22°C ranged from 1.30 (95% confidence in

SUBMITTER: Petkova EP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4096340 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature