The Effectiveness of Intervening on Social Isolation to Reduce Mortality during Heat Waves in Aged Population: A Retrospective Ecological Study

Stefano Orlando, Claudia Mosconi, Carolina De Santo, Leonardo Emberti Gialloreti, Maria Chiara Inzerilli, Olga Madaro, Sandro Mancinelli, Fausto Ciccacci, Maria Cristina Marazzi, Leonardo Palombi and Giuseppe Liotta
Additional contact information
Stefano Orlando: Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy
Claudia Mosconi: Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy
Carolina De Santo: Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy
Leonardo Emberti Gialloreti: Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy
Maria Chiara Inzerilli: Community of Sant’Egidio, “Long Live the Elderly” Program, 00153 Rome, Italy
Olga Madaro: Community of Sant’Egidio, “Long Live the Elderly” Program, 00153 Rome, Italy
Sandro Mancinelli: Medicine and Surgery Program, Unicamillus, Saint Camillus International University of Health Sciences, 00131 Rome, Italy
Fausto Ciccacci: Medicine and Surgery Program, Unicamillus, Saint Camillus International University of Health Sciences, 00131 Rome, Italy
Maria Cristina Marazzi: Department of Human Sciences, Libera Università degli Studi Maria Ss Assunta di Roma, 00193 Rome, Italy
Leonardo Palombi: Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy
Giuseppe Liotta: Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 21, 1-10

Abstract: Background: Heat waves are correlated with increased mortality in the aged population. Social isolation is known as a vulnerability factor. This study aims at evaluating the correlation between an intervention to reduce social isolation and the increase in mortality in the population over 80 during heat waves. Methods: This study adopted a retrospective ecologic design. We compared the excess mortality rate (EMR) in the over-80 population during heat waves in urban areas of Rome (Italy) where a program to reduce social isolation was implemented, to others where it was not implemented. We measured the mortality of the summer periods from 2015 to 2019 compared with 2014 (a year without heat waves). Winter mortality, cadastral income, and the proportion of people over 90 were included in the multivariate Poisson regression. Results: The EMR in the intervention and controls was 2.70% and 3.81%, respectively. The rate ratio was 0.70 (c.i. 0.54–0.92, p -value 0.01). The incidence rate ratio (IRR) of the interventions, with respect to the controls, was 0.76 (c.i. 0.59–0.98). After adjusting for other variables, the IRR was 0.44 (c.i. 0.32–0.60). Conclusions: Reducing social isolation could limit the impact of heat waves on the mortality of the elderly population.

Keywords: extreme weather; heat waves; environment and public health; aged; older adults; social behavior; interpersonal relation; social isolation; mortality; loneliness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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