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A Comprehensive Evaluation of the Burden of Heat-Related Illness and Death within the Florida Population

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  • Laurel Harduar Morano

    (Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA)

  • Sharon Watkins

    (Florida Department of Health, Public Health Research Unit, Tallahassee, FL 32399, USA
    Pennsylvania Department of Health, Bureau of Epidemiology, Harrisburg, PA 17120, USA)

  • Kristina Kintziger

    (Florida Department of Health, Public Health Research Unit, Tallahassee, FL 32399, USA)

Abstract

The failure of the human body to thermoregulate can lead to severe outcomes (e.g., death) and lasting physiological damage. However, heat-related illness (HRI) is highly preventable via individual- and community-level modification. A thorough understanding of the burden is necessary for effective intervention. This paper describes the burden of severe HRI morbidity and mortality among residents of a humid subtropical climate. Work-related and non-work-related HRI emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalizations, and deaths among Florida residents during May to October (2005–2012) were examined. Sub-groups susceptible to HRI were identified. The age-adjusted rates/100,000 person-years for non-work-related HRI were 33.1 ED visits, 5.9 hospitalizations, and 0.2 deaths, while for work-related HRI/100,000 worker-years there were 8.5 ED visits, 1.1 hospitalizations, and 0.1 deaths. The rates of HRI varied by county, data source, and work-related status, with the highest rates observed in the panhandle and south central Florida. The sub-groups with the highest relative rates regardless of data source or work-relatedness were males, minorities, and rural residents. Those aged 15–35 years had the highest ED visit rates, while for non-work-related hospitalizations and deaths the rates increased with age. The results of this study can be used for targeted interventions and evaluating changes in the HRI burden over time.

Suggested Citation

  • Laurel Harduar Morano & Sharon Watkins & Kristina Kintziger, 2016. "A Comprehensive Evaluation of the Burden of Heat-Related Illness and Death within the Florida Population," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-21, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:13:y:2016:i:6:p:551-:d:71167
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mirabelli, M.C. & Richardson, D.B., 2005. "Heat-related fatalities in North Carolina," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 95(4), pages 635-637.
    2. Joubert, D. & Thomsen, J. & Harrison, O., 2011. "Safety in the heat: A comprehensive program for prevention of heat illness among workers in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 101(3), pages 395-398.
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    Cited by:

    1. Yajie Li & Peter D. Howe, 2023. "Universal or targeted approaches? an experiment about heat risk messaging," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 117(1), pages 381-398, May.
    2. Penelope Dring & Megan Armstrong & Robin Alexander & Henry Xiang, 2022. "Emergency Department Visits for Heat-Related Emergency Conditions in the United States from 2008–2020," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(22), pages 1-11, November.
    3. Ruth McDermott-Levy & Madeline Scolio & Kabindra M. Shakya & Caroline H. Moore, 2021. "Factors That Influence Climate Change-Related Mortality in the United States: An Integrative Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-21, August.
    4. Misun Kang & Kyu Rang Kim & Ju-Young Shin, 2020. "Event-Based Heat-Related Risk Assessment Model for South Korea Using Maximum Perceived Temperature, Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature, and Air Temperature Data," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(8), pages 1-19, April.

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