A Comprehensive Evaluation of the Burden of Heat-Related Illness and Death Within the Florida Population

Details

• Personal Author:
  Harduar-Morano, Laurel ; Kintziger K ; Watkins S
• Description:
  The failure of the human body to thermoregulate can lead to severe outcomes (e.g., death) and lasting physiological damage. However, heat-related illness (HRI) is highly preventable via individual- and community-level modification. A thorough understanding of the burden is necessary for effective intervention. This paper describes the burden of severe HRI morbidity and mortality among residents of a humid subtropical climate. Work-related and non-work-related HRI emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalizations, and deaths among Florida residents during May to October (2005-2012) were examined. Sub-groups susceptible to HRI were identified. The age-adjusted rates/100,000 person-years for non-work-related HRI were 33.1 ED visits, 5.9 hospitalizations, and 0.2 deaths, while for work-related HRI/100,000 worker-years there were 8.5 ED visits, 1.1 hospitalizations, and 0.1 deaths. The rates of HRI varied by county, data source, and work-related status, with the highest rates observed in the panhandle and south central Florida. The sub-groups with the highest relative rates regardless of data source or work-relatedness were males, minorities, and rural residents. Those aged 15-35 years had the highest ED visit rates, while for non-work-related hospitalizations and deaths the rates increased with age. The results of this study can be used for targeted interventions and evaluating changes in the HRI burden over time. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Adolescent Aging Emergency Responders Epidemiology Heat Stress Disorders Hot Temperature Men Morbidity Mortality Occupational Health Safety Women

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• Keywords:
  Adolescents Age Groups Author Keywords: Heat Body Temperature Children Emergency Care Emergency Treatment Fatalities Heat Heat Exposure Heat Stress Humans Morbidity Morbidity Rates Mortality Mortality Rates Occupational Physiological Effects Physiopathology Statistical Analysis Subtropical Surveillance

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• ISSN:
  1660-4601
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Florida ; North Carolina ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  13
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20050106
• Citation:
  Int J Environ Res Public Health 2016 Jun; 13(6):551
• Contact Point Address:
  Laurel Harduar Morano, Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
• Email:
  onarom.lh@gmail.com
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2016
• Performing Organization:
  University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• End Date:
  20270630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:286ebe3dd70213d0ff020d8d85320e40bbcda85fdbcae18aa3827ed2df8176301fd708d6e40cf246c78f7d263e5359e8dbe14a41086dd3accbfee3fce6a4d5d3
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/210599/cdc_210599_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.55 MB ]