The accuracy of the heat index to explain the excess of mortality and morbidity during heat waves – a case study in a mediterranean climate

Monteiro Ana (), Carvalho Vânia (), Velho Sara () and Sousa Carlos ()
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Monteiro Ana: University of Porto, Department of Geography, Institute of Public Health, Research Centre for Territory, Transports and Environment (CITTA), Geography and Regional Planning Centre (CEGOT), Via Panorâmica s/nº, 4150–564 Porto, Portugal phone: +351 919 698 402, fax: +351 226 077 150
Carvalho Vânia: University of Porto, Department of Geography, Institute of Public Health, Research Centre for Territory, Transports and Environment (CITTA), Geography and Regional Planning Centre (CEGOT), Via Panorâmica s/nº, 4150–564 Porto, Portugal phone: +351 918 235 406, fax: +351 226 077 150
Velho Sara: University of Porto, Department of Geography, Institute of Public Health, Research Centre for Territory, Transports and Environment (CITTA), Geography and Regional Planning Centre (CEGOT), Via Panorâmica s/nº, 4150–564 Porto, Portugal phone: +351 916 904 594, fax: +351 226 077 150
Sousa Carlos: University of Porto, Department of Geography, Institute of Public Health, Research Centre for Territory, Transports and Environment (CITTA), Geography and Regional Planning Centre (CEGOT), Via Panorâmica s/nº, 4150–564 Porto, Portugal phone: +351 919 541 149, fax: +351 226 077 150

Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series, 2013, vol. 20, issue 20, 71-84

Abstract: The aim of this contribution was to evaluate the accuracy of a well known human comfort index, the heat index, to anticipate the effects of the July 2006 heat wave in mortality (all causes) and morbidity (all causes, respiratory and circulatory disease). Our assessment was done to all citizens, to people of the 75+ cohort and to each gender, in Porto. For further statistical analysis, we calculated an expected number of admissions by averaging the admissions recorded during the comparison period. The 95% confidence interval was calculated, using a standard method based on the t-distribution, for differences between independent means with different population variances, using the Leveane test to evaluate the variance’s homogeneity. During the 2006 heat wave, a 52% mortality excess was registered relatively to the expected mortality (p

Date: 2013
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:vrs:buogeo:v:20:y:2013:i:20:p:71-84:n:5

DOI: 10.2478/bog-2013-0012

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