Abstract
This study aims to provide an in-depth understanding of what motivates older adults to take their adaptive behaviors during extreme heat events. Elaborating the mediating role of emotion in human behaviors, we empirically explore an interrelationship between individuals’ cognition, emotion, and heat-protective action in response to heat warning system alarms. Through face-to-face surveys and structural equation modeling, this study reveals that an increased level of cognition about climate change, heat waves, and local policy measures leads to emotional responses such as concern and worry, and consequently encourages people to comply with heat-related public guidelines. Furthermore, we also consider individuals’ pre-existing health conditions and their previous experiences of heat-related illnesses together with the emotional factors. The role of emotion in mediating between cognition and heat-protective action is much greater than in mediating between pre-existing health conditions and heat-protective action. We conclude that policy interventions to educate older adults can effectively increase the likelihood of individual compliance with the relevant preventive measures beyond their individual health and experiences.
Highlights
Extreme weather events have gained worldwide attention
We focus on the magnitude of the influence that cognition and emotion contribute to the behavioral changes: (1) what is the magnitude that cognition of heat waves directly promotes compliance with public guidelines to take heat-protective actions; (2) what is the magnitude that emotional response to heat waves directly promotes compliance with public guidelines to take heat-protective actions; (3)
With an eye toward the lack of discussion around the individual adaptive capacity of older adults during extreme heat events, this paper explored the behavioral mechanism of the preventive response of the elderly to public warnings of a heat event
Summary
Extreme weather events have gained worldwide attention. Heat waves are predicted to occur more frequently, with greater intensity and duration in the future, creating a global health concern [1,2]. A less emphasized but important factor is the emotional response, such as feelings of threat and concern, to the threat It takes a mediating role in the individual perceptions of the risk from heat waves [1,20], and it is expected that those who are emotionally engaged in health-threatening circumstances are more likely to engage in health-protective behaviors [21,22,23]. In order to promote heat-protective behaviors of older adults amid the increasing risk of heat waves, it is crucial that scholars and planners understand their willingness to comply with heat-related public measures and guidelines Against this backdrop, this research aims to empirically explore an interrelationship between cognition, emotion, and heat-protective behaviors of people over the age of 50, following activation of the heat warning system. The rest of this paper is structured as follows: in the upcoming section we describe the analytical design and method, we provide the empirical results of structural equation modeling, and we conclude the paper by discussing policy implications
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
