A Cross-Sectional, Randomized Cluster Sample Survey of Household Vulnerability to Extreme Heat among Slum Dwellers in Ahmedabad, India

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Kathy V. Tran¹  Gulrez S. Azhar³  Rajesh Nair³  Kim Knowlton²  Anjali Jaiswal²  Perry Sheffield²  Dileep Mavalankar³ 

[1] Department of Environmental Health, Emory University School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; E-Mail:;Ahmedabad Heat and Climate Study Group, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 380054, India; E-Mails:;Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 380054, India; E-Mails:

关键词: heat;    climate change;    India;    vulnerability;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph10062515

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Extreme heat is a significant public health concern in India; extreme heat hazards are projected to increase in frequency and severity with climate change. Few of the factors driving population heat vulnerability are documented, though poverty is a presumed risk factor. To facilitate public health preparedness, an assessment of factors affecting vulnerability among slum dwellers was conducted in summer 2011 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. Indicators of heat exposure, susceptibility to heat illness, and adaptive capacity, all of which feed into heat vulnerability, was assessed through a cross-sectional household survey using randomized multistage cluster sampling. Associations between heat-related morbidity and vulnerability factors were identified using multivariate logistic regression with generalized estimating equations to account for clustering effects. Age, preexisting medical conditions, work location, and access to health information and resources were associated with self-reported heat illness. Several of these variables were unique to this study. As sociodemographics, occupational heat exposure, and access to resources were shown to increase vulnerability, future interventions (e.g., health education) might target specific populations among Ahmedabad urban slum dwellers to reduce vulnerability to extreme heat. Surveillance and evaluations of future interventions may also be worthwhile.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2013 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.