Tobias Hoeppner1, Meredith Borland1,2, Franz E Babl3,4,5, Jocelyn Neutze6, Natalie Phillips7,8,9, David Krieser4,5,10, Stuart R Dalziel11,12, Andrew Davidson4,5,13, Susan Donath4,5, Kim Jachno4, Mike South4,5,14, Amanda Williams4,5, Guicheng Zhang15,16, Ed Oakley3,4,5. 1. Department of Emergency Medicine, Princess Margaret Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia. 2. School of Paediatrics and Child Health and School of Primary, Rural and Aboriginal Health, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia. 3. Department of Emergency Medicine, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 4. Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 5. Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 6. Department of Emergency Medicine, Kidz First Children's Hospital, Counties Manukau Health, Auckland, New Zealand. 7. Emergency Department, Lady Cilento Children's Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. 8. Children's Health Research Centre, University of Queensland Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. 9. Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. 10. Department of Emergency Medicine, Sunshine Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 11. Children's Emergency Department, Starship Children's Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand. 12. Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. 13. Department of Anaesthesia, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 14. Department of Medicine, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 15. School of Public Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia. 16. Centre for Genetic Origins of Health and Disease, Curtin University and University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Abstract
AIM: We aimed to examine the impact of weather on hospital admissions with bronchiolitis in Australia and New Zealand. METHODS: We collected data for inpatient admissions of infants aged 2-12 months to seven hospitals in four cities in Australia and New Zealand from 2009 until 2011. Correlation of hospital admissions with minimum daily temperature, wind speed, relative humidity and rainfall was examined using linear, Poisson and negative binomial regression analyses as well as general estimated equation models. To account for possible lag between exposure to weather and admission to hospital, analyses were conducted for time lags of 0-4 weeks. RESULTS: During the study period, 3876 patients were admitted to the study hospitals. Hospital admissions showed strong seasonality with peaks in wintertime, onset in autumn and offset in spring. The onset of peak incidence was preceded by a drop in temperature. Minimum temperature was inversely correlated with hospital admissions, whereas wind speed was directly correlated. These correlations were sustained for time lags of up to 4 weeks. Standardised correlation coefficients ranged from -0.14 to -0.54 for minimum temperature and from 0.18 to 0.39 for wind speed. Relative humidity and rainfall showed no correlation with hospital admissions in our study. CONCLUSION: A decrease in temperature and increasing wind speed are associated with increasing incidence of bronchiolitis hospital admissions in Australia and New Zealand.
AIM: We aimed to examine the impact of weather on hospital admissions with bronchiolitis in Australia and New Zealand. METHODS: We collected data for inpatient admissions of infants aged 2-12 months to seven hospitals in four cities in Australia and New Zealand from 2009 until 2011. Correlation of hospital admissions with minimum daily temperature, wind speed, relative humidity and rainfall was examined using linear, Poisson and negative binomial regression analyses as well as general estimated equation models. To account for possible lag between exposure to weather and admission to hospital, analyses were conducted for time lags of 0-4 weeks. RESULTS: During the study period, 3876 patients were admitted to the study hospitals. Hospital admissions showed strong seasonality with peaks in wintertime, onset in autumn and offset in spring. The onset of peak incidence was preceded by a drop in temperature. Minimum temperature was inversely correlated with hospital admissions, whereas wind speed was directly correlated. These correlations were sustained for time lags of up to 4 weeks. Standardised correlation coefficients ranged from -0.14 to -0.54 for minimum temperature and from 0.18 to 0.39 for wind speed. Relative humidity and rainfall showed no correlation with hospital admissions in our study. CONCLUSION: A decrease in temperature and increasing wind speed are associated with increasing incidence of bronchiolitis hospital admissions in Australia and New Zealand.
Authors: Libby Haskell; Emma J Tavender; Catherine Wilson; Sharon O'Brien; Franz E Babl; Meredith L Borland; Liz Cotterell; Tibor Schuster; Francesca Orsini; Nicolette Sheridan; David Johnson; Ed Oakley; Stuart R Dalziel Journal: BMC Pediatr Date: 2018-07-06 Impact factor: 2.125
Authors: Libby Haskell; Emma J Tavender; Catherine Wilson; Franz E Babl; Ed Oakley; Nicolette Sheridan; Stuart R Dalziel Journal: BMC Pediatr Date: 2020-05-01 Impact factor: 2.125
Authors: Darshnika Pemi Lakhoo; Helen Abigail Blake; Matthew Francis Chersich; Britt Nakstad; Sari Kovats Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-07-26 Impact factor: 4.614