Zhiwei Xu1, James Lewis Crooks2, Deborah Black3, Wenbiao Hu4, Shilu Tong5. 1. School of Public Health and Social Work, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. Electronic address: xzw1011@gmail.com. 2. National Jewish Health, Denver, United States. 3. Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. 4. School of Public Health and Social Work, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. 5. School of Public Health and Social Work, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia; School of Public Health, Institute of Environment and Human Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China; Shanghai Children's Medical Centre, Shanghai Jiao-Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Data on the health impacts of heatwaves in infants are limited, and this study aimed to examine how heatwaves affect hospital admissions in infants. METHODS: A quasi-Poisson generalized additive model was used to assess the effects of heatwaves on hospital admissions in infants from 1st January 2005 to 31st December 2015 in Brisbane, Australia, using a series of heatwave definitions after controlling for possible confounders. A case-only analysis was conducted to examine the possible modification effects of personal and community characteristics on the heatwaves effects on infants' hospital admissions. RESULTS: There was no significant increase in infants' hospital admissions when heatwave intensity was defined as mean temperature ≥90th percentile or ≥95th percentile of the mean temperature across the study period. When heatwave intensity increased to ≥97th percentile, infants' hospital admissions increased significantly (RR: 1.05, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.10), and this increase raised with the increase of heatwave duration. No modification effect of gender, indigenous status, or Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) level on heatwave effect was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Infants in Brisbane were sensitive to intense heatwaves, and future heat early warning system based on a local evidence-based heatwave definition is needed to protect infants from heatwave impacts. Community-based heatwave adaptation programs aiming at raising the awareness of the adverse health impacts of intense heatwaves among infants' caregivers may relieve the postnatal health care demand in infants.
OBJECTIVES: Data on the health impacts of heatwaves in infants are limited, and this study aimed to examine how heatwaves affect hospital admissions in infants. METHODS: A quasi-Poisson generalized additive model was used to assess the effects of heatwaves on hospital admissions in infants from 1st January 2005 to 31st December 2015 in Brisbane, Australia, using a series of heatwave definitions after controlling for possible confounders. A case-only analysis was conducted to examine the possible modification effects of personal and community characteristics on the heatwaves effects on infants' hospital admissions. RESULTS: There was no significant increase in infants' hospital admissions when heatwave intensity was defined as mean temperature ≥90th percentile or ≥95th percentile of the mean temperature across the study period. When heatwave intensity increased to ≥97th percentile, infants' hospital admissions increased significantly (RR: 1.05, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.10), and this increase raised with the increase of heatwave duration. No modification effect of gender, indigenous status, or Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) level on heatwave effect was observed. CONCLUSIONS:Infants in Brisbane were sensitive to intense heatwaves, and future heat early warning system based on a local evidence-based heatwave definition is needed to protect infants from heatwave impacts. Community-based heatwave adaptation programs aiming at raising the awareness of the adverse health impacts of intense heatwaves among infants' caregivers may relieve the postnatal health care demand in infants.
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