Vancouver has some lessons to learn when it comes to dealing with hot weather.
UBC research published in Environmental Health Perspectives shows a connection between hot weather in Vancouver and an increase in mortality.
“During the summer of 2009, there was a stretch of hot weather that lasted about seven days, and during that period we saw about 110 people die, which led to a huge 40 per cent increase in mortality” said Sarah Henderson, senior author of the study and an assistant professor at School of Population and Public Health at UBC.
While Henderson expected the very elderly to be more vulnerable, the increase in mortality was among young seniors, from the ages of 55 to 75.
To find out the correlation between the hot weather and mortality in different neighbourhoods, researchers combined maps of Humidex and Vancouver Area Neighbourhood Deprivation Index (VANDIX). Humidex is an index that describes how hot the weather feels to the public, while the VANDIX reflects the general development levels of a certain area by combining labour participation rate, average income and other factors. This helps researchers visualize the mortality rates among different neighbourhoods at different Humedix levels.
By analyzing records with the number of deaths on days with extreme hot weather events from 1998 to 2014, the researchers found that areas with higher mortality rates during hot weather tend to have higher unemployment rates. The mortality rate increased dramatically when Humidex levels reached 34.4ºC.
The study also showed that there are high risk neighbourhoods around Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. According to Henderson, these risks come from some areas of the cities being hotter than others, due to the amount of concrete and the lack of trees. The risks also come from differences in social vulnerabilities — like a larger senior population or higher unemployment rates — in areas of Vancouver.
Henderson said it is important to be prepared because Vancouver was not designed for hot weather (just look at the lack of air-conditioning around the city) and people don’t know how to behave when it gets hot.
“If you are swimming, that’s a good thing. But then if you are laying out and baking, that’s not good at all,” said Henderson.
“The best way to protect yourself when it becomes hot outside is to stay cool,” said Henderson. “When it’s really hot outside you should drink lots of water, take it easy and avoid doing anything too much in the middle of the day."