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Climate Change and Human Health: Impacts on the Physiological Responses of Vulnerable Populations

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Climate Change".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 10486

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Alex Buoite Stella

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Clinical Unit of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, Cattinara University Hospital ASUGI, University of Trieste, Strada di Fiume, 447, 34149 Trieste, Italy
Interests: clinical physiology; temperature; hydration; fluid balance; neurological diseases; autonomic disorders; environmental physiology

Dr. Shawnda A. Morrison

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Guest Editor

Centre for Climate Change and Active Children, Faculty of Sport, University of Ljubljana, Gortanova ulica 22, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Interests: environmental physiology; temperature regulation; bed rest; space science; hypoxia; cerebrovascular function; sleep

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Climate change represents one of the main challenges for the future generation of scientists, with the need for a multidisciplinary effort including life sciences and health researchers. Among several environmental factors, extreme temperature events have been suggested to severely impact health and have been found to be associated with increased hospitalization and mortality. In particular, heat waves have recently hit populations worldwide, and vulnerable populations have been identified as those at a higher risk of heat illnesses, including children, the elderly, and people with chronic diseases. Impaired thermoregulation, autonomic dysfunction and altered physiological responses might characterize some of these clinical populations, and understanding these factors might help to identify unsafe conditions and to develop mitigation and countermeasure strategies.

This Special Issue aims to invite researchers to submit novel manuscripts about (i) thermoregulatory mechanisms in vulnerable populations (including the youth, the elderly, and clinical populations), (ii) physiological and health responses during conditions of thermal stress, (iii) development of new scales and indexes to identify unsafe environmental conditions, and (iv) evaluation of mitigation strategies and countermeasures to environmental stress (including buildings and urban green actions) on health.

Dr. Alex Buoite Stella
Dr. Shawnda A. Morrison
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

climate change
temperature
environment
heatwaves
cold spells
pollution
migration
physiology
health
cardiovascular responses
respiratory responses
elderly
children
disease
vulnerable populations

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 400 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Extreme Temperature Shocks on the Health Status of the Elderly in China

by Yanran Chen and Xuezheng Qin

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 15729; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192315729 - 25 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2060

Abstract

With the accelerating process of climate change, long-term exposure to extreme temperatures could threaten individuals’ physical health, especially for the vulnerable population. This paper aims to investigate the long-term effects of extreme temperature exposure on the health of the elderly in the context of climate change and aging. Different from most of the existing literature in environmental economics, we define the relative extreme temperature exposure based on the local temperature pattern. By combining a large national household survey and nationwide meteorologic historical data, this study provides empirical evidence that heat exposure days and cold exposure days during the past year both significantly affect the physical health of middle-aged and elderly groups, controlling for city, year, and individual fixed effects. The effect on individual physical health has certain seasonal characteristics and is heterogeneous across populations. Additionally, cooling and heating equipment are effective in alleviating the reverse impact of heat and cold exposure. The estimation is robust and consistent across a variety of temperature measurements and model modifications. Our findings provide evidence of the long-term and accumulative cost of extreme temperature to middle-aged and elderly human capital, contributing to helping the public to better understand the full impact of climate change. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Human Health: Impacts on the Physiological Responses of Vulnerable Populations)

12 pages, 1259 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Global Population Exposure to Extreme Temperatures and Disease Burden

by Yajie Du, Ming Jing, Chunyu Lu, Jingru Zong, Lingli Wang and Qing Wang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(20), 13288; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013288 - 14 Oct 2022

Viewed by 2187

Abstract

The frequency and duration of extreme temperature events continues to increase worldwide. However, the scale of population exposure and its quantitative relationship with health risks remains unknown on a global scale, limiting our ability to identify policy priorities in response to climate change. Based on data from 171 countries between 2010 and 2019, this study estimated the exposure of vulnerable populations to extreme temperatures, and their contemporary and lag associations with disease burden attributed to non-optimal temperatures. Fixed-effects models and dynamic panel models were applied. Increased vulnerable population exposure to extreme temperatures had adverse contemporary effects on the burden of disease attributed to non-optimal temperature. Health risks stemming from extreme cold could accumulate to a greater extent, exhibiting a larger lag effect. Population exposure to extreme cold was mainly distributed in high-income countries, while extreme heat occurred more in low-income and middle-income countries. However, the association between population exposure to extreme cold and burden of disease was much stronger in low-income and middle-income countries than in high-income countries, whereas the effect size of population exposure to extreme heat was similar. Our study highlighted that differential strategies should be determined and implemented according to the characteristics in different countries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Human Health: Impacts on the Physiological Responses of Vulnerable Populations)

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13 pages, 2049 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Marine Survival in the Mediterranean: A Pilot Study on the Cognitive and Cardiorespiratory Response to Sudden Cool Water Immersion

by Alex Buoite Stella and Shawnda A. Morrison

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(3), 1601; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031601 - 30 Jan 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2564

Abstract

Background and Aim: The Mediterranean is one of the major gateways of human migratory fluxes from Northern Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia to Europe. Sea accidents have become an urgent humanitarian crisis due to the high number of migrants on the move, but data on the physiological effects to sudden cool water immersion are not as extensive as cold-water studies. We wanted to evaluate to what extent cool water immersion (~18 °C) may detrimentally affect cognitive ability and cardiorespiratory strain compared to the more prevalent cold-water (<10–15 °C) studies. Methods: In this case, 10 active, healthy men participated in this study which consisted of completing one familiarization trial, and then a control (CON) or experimental (EXP) trial in a randomized, repeated-measures, cross-over fashion, separated by at least 7-days. Cognitive function was assessed via the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), a code substitution test, performed at baseline, then repeated in either a thermoneutral (~25 °C room air) dry environment, or when immersed to the neck in 18 °C water. Testing consisted of six “Step” time-blocks 45-s each, with a 5-s pause between each Step. Cardiorespiratory measures, continuously recorded, included heart rate (beats per minute), minute ventilation (

\dot{V}

_E, L∙min⁻¹), oxygen consumption (

\dot{V}

O₂, L∙min⁻¹), and respiratory frequency (fR, count∙min⁻¹). Results: Initial responses to cool water (<2 min) found that participants performed ~11% worse on the code substitution test (p = 0.025), consumed 149% greater amounts of oxygen (CI: 5.1 to 9.1 L∙min⁻¹, p < 0.0001) and experienced higher cardiovascular strain (HR CI: 13 to 38 beats per minute, p = 0.001) than during the control trial. Physiological strain was in-line to those observed in much colder water temperature. Conclusion: Sudden, cool water immersion also negatively affects cognitive function and cardiorespiratory strain, especially during the first two minutes of exposure. The magnitude increase in heart rate is strongly associated with poorer cognitive function, even in (relatively) warmer water consistent with temperatures found in the Mediterranean Sea environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Human Health: Impacts on the Physiological Responses of Vulnerable Populations)

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13 pages, 941 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Urban Landscape and Sociodemographic Characteristics on Heat-Related Health Using Emergency Medical Service Incidents

by Kanghyun Lee and Robert D. Brown

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(3), 1287; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031287 - 24 Jan 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2710

Abstract

It is well known that extremely hot weather causes heat-related health issues. Health problems, especially in urban areas, are becoming increasingly important due to urban heat island effect. Understanding the impact of neighborhood characteristics is important for research into the relationship between thermal environment and human health. The objectives of this study were to explore the urban landscape and sociodemographic characteristics affecting heat-related health and identify spatial inequalities for vulnerable groups. A total of 27,807 heat-related EMS incidents were used at the census block group level (N = 285). We used land cover database and Landsat satellite images for urban landscape variables and used 2019 U.S. Census data for sociodemographic variables. Negative binomial regression was used to identify the neighborhood variables associated with the heat-related EMS incidents in each block group. Heat-related health has been alleviated in block groups with high green areas. However, the negative effects of thermal environments on human health were higher in areas with a high percentage of impervious surface, over 65 years, non-white people, no high school diploma, or unemployment. The results indicate that heat-related health problems can be addressed through prevention strategies for block group variables. Local intervention efforts to solve health issues should be targeted at more vulnerable areas and groups. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Human Health: Impacts on the Physiological Responses of Vulnerable Populations)

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Climate Change and Human Health: Impacts on the Physiological Responses of Vulnerable Populations

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