Barrak Alahmad1, Ahmed F Shakarchi2, Haitham Khraishah3, Mohammad Alseaidan4, Janvier Gasana5, Ali Al-Hemoud6, Petros Koutrakis7, Mary A Fox8. 1. Environmental Health Department, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA; Environmental and Occupational Health Department, Faculty of Public Health, Kuwait University, Kuwait City, Kuwait. Electronic address: b.alahmad@g.harvard.edu. 2. Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA. 3. Cardiovascular Research Center, Division of Cardiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. 4. Environmental Health Department, Public Health Administration, Ministry of Health, Kuwait. 5. Environmental and Occupational Health Department, Faculty of Public Health, Kuwait University, Kuwait City, Kuwait. 6. Environment and Life Sciences Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Kuwait. 7. Environmental Health Department, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA. 8. Department of Health Policy and Management and Risk Sciences and Public Policy Institute, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Previous climate change temperature-related health studies have been performed mostly in western countries with relatively cooler temperatures than the Gulf region. Regions that are inherently hot, like Kuwait, are witnessing soaring temperatures unlike ever before. Meanwhile, Kuwait and other Gulf countries are unique in their demographic profiles due to the large number of non-national migrant workers. OBJECTIVE: To examine the associations of hot and cold temperature extremes on the risk of mortality across gender, age groups and nationality in Kuwait. METHODS: We investigated daily variations of all-cause non-accidental and cardiovascular mortality death counts and ambient temperatures from 2010 to 2016 in a time-series design using a negative binomial distribution. The temperature lag was modeled with distributed lag non-linear models. RESULTS: A total of 33,472 all-cause non-accidental deaths happened during the study period. For the extreme hot temperatures and over the entire lag period, comparing the 99th percentile of temperature to the minimum mortality temperature, the risk of dying among males was 2.08 (95% CI: 1.23-3.52). Among non-Kuwaitis, males and working age group (15-64 year) had relative risks of death from extreme hot temperatures of 2.90 (1.42-5.93), and 2.59 (1.20-5.59), respectively. For extreme cold temperatures and over the entire lag period, comparing the 1st percentile of temperature to the minimum mortality temperature, the relative risk of death among Kuwaitis was 2.03 (1.05-3.93). Elderly Kuwaitis (65+ year) exposed to extreme cold temperatures had a relative risk of 2.75 (1.16-6.52). CONCLUSIONS: Certain subpopulations in Kuwait are vulnerable to extreme temperatures with doubling to tripling risk of mortality. Nationality is an important effect modifier in temperature-related mortality studies in Kuwait and possibly the Gulf region. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first study to examine specific subpopulation vulnerabilities to temperature in this region. Our findings could carry a potential for broader insight into similar hyper-arid and hot regions.
BACKGROUND: Previous climate change temperature-related health studies have been performed mostly in western countries with relatively cooler temperatures than the Gulf region. Regions that are inherently hot, like Kuwait, are witnessing soaring temperatures unlike ever before. Meanwhile, Kuwait and other Gulf countries are unique in their demographic profiles due to the large number of non-national migrant workers. OBJECTIVE: To examine the associations of hot and cold temperature extremes on the risk of mortality across gender, age groups and nationality in Kuwait. METHODS: We investigated daily variations of all-cause non-accidental and cardiovascular mortality death counts and ambient temperatures from 2010 to 2016 in a time-series design using a negative binomial distribution. The temperature lag was modeled with distributed lag non-linear models. RESULTS: A total of 33,472 all-cause non-accidental deaths happened during the study period. For the extreme hot temperatures and over the entire lag period, comparing the 99th percentile of temperature to the minimum mortality temperature, the risk of dying among males was 2.08 (95% CI: 1.23-3.52). Among non-Kuwaitis, males and working age group (15-64 year) had relative risks of death from extreme hot temperatures of 2.90 (1.42-5.93), and 2.59 (1.20-5.59), respectively. For extreme cold temperatures and over the entire lag period, comparing the 1st percentile of temperature to the minimum mortality temperature, the relative risk of death among Kuwaitis was 2.03 (1.05-3.93). Elderly Kuwaitis (65+ year) exposed to extreme cold temperatures had a relative risk of 2.75 (1.16-6.52). CONCLUSIONS: Certain subpopulations in Kuwait are vulnerable to extreme temperatures with doubling to tripling risk of mortality. Nationality is an important effect modifier in temperature-related mortality studies in Kuwait and possibly the Gulf region. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first study to examine specific subpopulation vulnerabilities to temperature in this region. Our findings could carry a potential for broader insight into similar hyper-arid and hot regions.
Authors: Soad Albahar; Jing Li; Mustafa Al-Zoughool; Ali Al-Hemoud; Janvier Gasana; Hassan Aldashti; Barrak Alahmad Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-05-15 Impact factor: 4.614
Authors: Kelvin C Fong; Seulkee Heo; Chris C Lim; Honghyok Kim; Alisha Chan; Whanhee Lee; Rory Stewart; Hayon Michelle Choi; Ji-Young Son; Michelle L Bell Journal: Environ Health Perspect Date: 2022-09-02 Impact factor: 11.035
Authors: Hala Hamadah; Barrak Alahmad; Mohammad Behbehani; Sarah Al-Youha; Sulaiman Almazeedi; Mohannad Al-Haddad; Mohammad H Jamal; Salman Al-Sabah Journal: BMC Public Health Date: 2020-09-10 Impact factor: 3.295