Climate change and health: indoor heat exposure in vulnerable populations.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Climate change is increasing the frequency of heat waves and hot weather in many urban environments. Older people are more vulnerable to heat exposure but spend most of their time indoors. Few published studies have addressed indoor heat exposure in residences occupied by an elderly population. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between outdoor and indoor temperatures in homes occupied by the elderly and determine other predictors of indoor temperature.

Materials and methods

We collected hourly indoor temperature measurements of 30 different homes; outdoor temperature, dewpoint temperature, and solar radiation data during summer 2009 in Detroit, MI. We used mixed linear regression to model indoor temperatures' responsiveness to weather, hou

SUBMITTER: White-Newsome JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4352572 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature