Recommendations for epidemiologic studies of aging populations in a changing climate
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EDITORIAL
Recommendations for epidemiologic studies of aging populations in a changing climate Sindana D. Ilango1,2 • Sara McElroy1,2
•
Lara Schwarz1,2
Received: 29 April 2019 / Revised: 16 July 2020 / Accepted: 12 August 2020 Ó Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+) 2020
The health effects of climate change on an aging population are not well understood. Maximizing healthy aging to improve quality of life at older ages is a pressing public health priority as the proportion of adults over 65 increases, from 9% in 2020 to an expected 16% in 2050 (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs 2019). Ambient environmental exposures and extreme weather events pose health risks that can be addressed by population-level interventions (World Health Organization (WHO) 2017). In the context of climate change, extreme weather conditions and events are becoming more frequent, more severe, and less predictable; all are linked to adverse health outcomes like heart disease, respiratory conditions, ˚ stro¨m et al. 2011; Gamble et al. and premature mortality (A 2013). Older adults are less resilient to climate change because they are more likely than younger populations to have impaired physical function, comorbidities, compromised immune systems, and to be more socially isolated (Gamble et al. 2013). This is why we have chosen to underline the need to study the effects of climate change on older adults. Specifically, we encourage conducting epidemiologic studies on the impact of climate change in lowand middle-income countries (LMIC) and targeting research questions to inform public health decisions.
This Editorial is part of the series ‘‘Young Researcher Editorial’’, a training project of the Swiss School of Public Health. The Editorial is published to mark the 15th anniversary of the Swiss School of Public Health. & Sindana D. Ilango [email protected] 1
Family Medicine and Public Health, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
2
School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
Previous epidemiologic studies on climate change and aging-related health were predominantly conducted in high-income regions with temperate climates and accessible weather and health data (Ostro et al. 2018). These have evaluated and informed policies aiming to decrease the health burden imposed by climate change. For example, in 2009–2010, New York City prevented 8 heat-related illnesses per 10 days in a population of Medicare beneficiaries over 65 years old by changing its heat emergency plan in 2008 to meet thresholds suggested by local epidemiologic studies (Benmarhnia et al. 2019). But findings from research in high-income regions may not be generalizable to the aging populations in LMIC. Research like this is less common in LMIC, where the fertility patterns, increased migration, and longer life expectancy are also increasing the proportion of older adults (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs 2019); the population of the elder
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