Extreme Heat Preparedness and Human Health - GeoHealth Early Career Webinar

Explore the relationship between extreme heat and human health in urban areas of India through this informative webinar. Gain insights into Dr. Amruta Nori-Sarma's epidemiological research, which supports the development and implementation of heat action plans. Learn about methods for evaluating the effectiveness of these plans and ongoing research on climate impacts on vulnerable communities' health. Discover the speaker's background as an Assistant Professor at Boston University School of Public Health, studying environmental exposures related to climate change. Delve into topics such as the threat of climate change to health, environment and health in India, mortality rates due to extreme heat, and policy implications. Understand the approaches used in temperature and mortality studies, including generalized additive models and propensity score matching. Examine heat wave characteristics, community-specific mortality relationships, and potential heat wave definitions. Explore the evaluation of existing heat action plans, adaptation strategies like cooling centers, and locally-relevant protective measures. Conclude with insights on relocating maternity wards and their impact on neonatal health.

Intro
Why is climate change a threat to health?
Environment and health in India
How this project began...
How many people die due to extreme heat?
May 2010 heat wave, Ahmedabad mortalities
Policy implications of this work
Heat Action Plan (HAP), 2013
Collection of existing registry data
Availability of meteorological data
Approaches . Temperature and mortality - generalized additive model
Single-day temperature and mortality
Identification and characterization of heat waves
Heat wave characteristics, by community (97POT)
Community-specific heat wave- mortality relationships
Regional health effect estimate
Potential heat wave definitions
Propensity score matching
Attributable deaths and relative risk of mortality
Jaipur-specific estimates
Heat wave days / year vs population- adjusted attributable deaths
Evaluation of existing heat action plans
City of Boston, Climate Adaptation Plan
Example of adaptation strategy - cooling centers
Access to cooling centers
Similar methods can be used across different types of resources or urban characteristics to evaluate community resilience & preparedness
Locally-relevant protective measures
Relocating the maternity ward impacted health among neonates
Conclusions