Cold Weather Conditions and Risk of Hypothermia Among People Experiencing Homelessness: Implications for Prevention Strategies

Paige Zhang, Kathryn Wiens, Ri Wang, Linh Luong, Donna Ansara, Stephanie Gower, Kate Bassil and Stephen W. Hwang
Additional contact information
Paige Zhang: MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, 30 Bond Street, Toronto, ON M5B 1W8, Canada
Kathryn Wiens: MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, 30 Bond Street, Toronto, ON M5B 1W8, Canada
Ri Wang: MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, 30 Bond Street, Toronto, ON M5B 1W8, Canada
Linh Luong: MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, 30 Bond Street, Toronto, ON M5B 1W8, Canada
Donna Ansara: Toronto Public Health, 277 Victoria St, Toronto, ON M5B 1W2, Canada
Stephanie Gower: Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 155 College St Room 500, Toronto, ON M5T 3M7, Canada
Kate Bassil: Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 155 College St Room 500, Toronto, ON M5T 3M7, Canada
Stephen W. Hwang: MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, 30 Bond Street, Toronto, ON M5B 1W8, Canada

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 18, 1-9

Abstract: Hypothermia is a preventable condition that disproportionately affects individuals who experience homelessness, yet limited data exist to inform the response to cold weather. To fill this gap, we examined the association between meteorological conditions and the risk of hypothermia among homeless individuals. Hypothermic events were identified from emergency department charts and coroner’s records between 2004 and 2015 in Toronto, Canada. A time-stratified case-crossover design with conditional logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between the meteorological conditions (minimum temperature and precipitation) and the risk of hypothermia. There were 97 hypothermic events identified: 79 injuries and 18 deaths. The odds of experiencing a hypothermic event increased 1.64-fold (95% CI: 1.30–2.07) with every 5 °C decrease in the minimum daily temperature and 1.10-fold (95% CI: 1.03–1.17) with every 1 mm increase in precipitation. The risk of hypothermia among individuals experiencing homelessness increased with declining temperature; however, most cases occurred during periods of low and moderate cold stress. 72% occurred when the minimum daily temperatures were warmer than −15 °C. These findings highlight the importance of providing a seasonal cold weather response to prevent hypothermia, complemented by an alert-based response on extremely cold days.

Keywords: homelessness; meteorological conditions; hypothermia; cold weather policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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