Abstract
Global climate change is an environmental hazard with significant public health impacts. High-impact weather events including periods of extreme temperature or extreme precipitation are frequently associated with adverse effects on human health. This study evaluates the impact of extreme weather events on injuries across New Hampshire. A set of five daily extreme weather metrics (EWMs) was analyzed: daily maximum temperature ≤32 °F (0 °C), daily maximum temperature ≥90 °F (32 °C), daily maximum temperature ≥95 °F (35 °C), daily precipitation ≥1″, and daily precipitation ≥2″. Exposure to these EWMs was defined by linking the population within 10 miles of nine weather stations distributed across the state. Injuries were defined as hospitalizations categorized as: all-cause injury, vehicle accidents, accidental falls, accidents due to natural and environmental causes (including excessive heat, excessive cold, exposure due to weather conditions, lightning, and storms and floods), accidental drowning, and carbon monoxide poisoning. The associations between all injury categories and all EWMs as well as daily maximum temperature and daily precipitation were explored. A quasi-Poisson regression model was used to evaluate the relationship between the four strongest exposure–outcome pairs linking maximum temperature to all-cause injury-, vehicle accident-, accidental fall-, and heat-related hospital visits. Results indicate that daily maximum temperature (>90 °F) was most strongly associated with heat-related hospital visits and was also associated with all-cause injury-related hospital visits. Future work should include further analysis of cold weather metrics and incorporate these findings into public health planning and response efforts.
Highlights
According to the National Climate Report, temperature averages and temperature extremes are on the rise across the United States (US), with a high proportion of the warmest years on record occurring after 2000 [1]
Population totals represent the total population of the study area that is explicitly referenced and all towns and cities included within the 10-mile buffer of the weather station (Table S1)
Accidental falls were followed by vehicle accidents, with the highest injury rates reported in Lakeport and may be related to a higher likelihood of extreme weather in a more populated yet rural area
Summary
According to the National Climate Report, temperature averages and temperature extremes are on the rise across the United States (US), with a high proportion of the warmest years on record occurring after 2000 [1]. More global high temperature records were broken compared to low temperature records [2], and globally, heat waves are becoming more frequent and intense, while the frequency and intensity of cold waves is decreasing [3]. The Northeast US climate is getting warmer, wetter, and experiencing more extreme weather events [4]. In addition to changing temperature patterns, average U.S precipitation is increasing, and the Northeast reports the highest rate of increase in precipitation compared to all other regions of the country [4]. Extreme precipitation events over most of the mid-latitude land masses are highly likely to become more intense and more frequent because of the increase in global mean surface temperature [5]
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