(Press-News.org) Boston, MA – In the first national estimate of county-level disparities in heat-related emergencies, a new study led by investigators from the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute found that vulnerable communities were at high risk.
The study, “County-Level Disparities in Heat-Related Emergencies,” was published in the March 19 edition of JAMA Network Open.
Climate change has led to significant heat waves with increasing frequency and intensity; the hottest on record occurred in July 2023. Prior studies have highlighted the role of extreme heat waves on significant health-related outcomes including cardiovascular and all-cause mortality at the local level, but there has been little information on a national level, which can better inform federal policy changes.
“The more specific we can be about how extreme heat impacts vulnerable communities, the better,” said senior author Hao Yu, Harvard Medical School associate professor of population medicine at the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute. “Our study provides a county-level ‘heat map’ with precise data that has the potential to shape evidence-informed responses to these severe health threats.”
This study examined the distribution of emergency medical service (EMS) activation during the July 2023 heat wave in the United States and described the characteristics of counties with high levels of heat-related EMS activation. The study population included all residents in the U.S. in July 2023 using county-level data from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Climate Change and Health Equity and the CDC, including heat-related EMS activation data, temperature and precipitation data, the CDC social vulnerability index, and the University of Wisconsin’s Area Deprivation Index area deprivation index.
Study results showed that nearly one-quarter of U.S. counties had substantially high heat-related EMS activation, or greater than 200% of the national average (3.6 per 100,000 residents). Those counties were concentrated in the South, Midwest, and Southwest. Additionally, high heat-related EMS activation was found in counties with higher social vulnerability index and area deprivation index.
“Our study shows that heat-related emergencies were widespread in communities already at risk for cardiovascular disease and with limited access to quality, affordable care,” said senior author Hao Yu, Harvard Medical School associate professor of population medicine at the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute. “Federal investment should target these vulnerable communities to improve heat resilience.”
About the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute’s Department of Population Medicine
The Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute's Department of Population Medicine is a unique collaboration between Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Harvard Medical School. Created in 1992, it is the first appointing medical school department in the United States based in a health plan. The Institute focuses on improving health care delivery and population health through innovative research and education, in partnership with health plans, delivery systems, and public health agencies. Point32Health is the parent company of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
END
Study details effects of heat-related emergencies; vulnerable populations found to be most at risk
2024-03-19
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Research spotlight: Stem-immunity hubs associated with response to immunotherapy
2024-03-19
Jonathan Chen, MD, PhD, an investigator in the department of Pathology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Nir Hacohen, PhD, director of the Center of Cancer Immunology at Massachusetts General Hospital, are co-authors of a recently published study in Nature Immunology, Human Lung Cancer Harbors Spatially-organized Stem-immunity Hubs Associated with Response to Immunotherapy.
What Question Were You Investigating?
Multicellular networks are critical in mediating immune responses. How do immune cells organize within tumors to effectively eliminate malignant cells?
We recently reported the discovery of a network of immune cells ...
Immunotherapy targeting cancer fusion protein may hold key to treating rare liver cancer
2024-03-19
(MEMPHIS, Tenn. – March 19, 2024) Fibrolamellar carcinoma (FLC) is a rare liver cancer with a poor prognosis if not addressed early with surgery. The disease is caused by a single genetic mutation that creates a fusion protein. Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and The University of Tennessee Health Science Center discovered an immune cell protein that can target and spark the destruction of FLC. Scientists found naturally occurring T cells in a patient with FLC were uniquely capable of recognizing the fusion protein. These cells provide ...
Experts say low-carb diets are backed by science and support health equity
2024-03-19
What was once a subject of public health debate is now a matter of clear scientific consensus: low-carb diets can be safe, nutritious, and should be included as an option within the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. A group of experts, including leading nutrition and health researchers and healthcare professionals, reviewed the evidence and arrived at more than 15 areas of unanimous scientific agreement on the benefits, opportunities and considerations around lower carbohydrate dietary patterns.
A review of the state of science and summary of the consensus ...
From the Mediterranean into the Atlantic: The Gibraltar arc is migrating to the west
2024-03-19
Oceans are subject to continuous change, mostly over extremely vast periods of time running into millions of years. Researchers from Universidade de Lisboa in Portugal and Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) in Germany now used computer simulations to demonstrate that a subduction zone originating in the Western Mediterranean will propagate into the Atlantic under the Strait of Gibraltar. According to their model, this will create a new Atlantic subduction zone 50 million years into the future, which will then move down into the Earth's mantle. The new geodynamic ...
The science is in: Being good is actually good for you
2024-03-19
“A wonderful book full of fascinating scientific insights explained with great clarity, inspiring us to let kindness reign in our hearts and thus accomplish the twofold benefit of others and oneself.” —Matthieu Ricard, author of Altruism: The Power of Compassion to Transform Ourselves and the World
The science is in: being good is actually good for you. In this bracingly original book, The Biology of Kindness—the first in a trilogy on the topic of daily wellness—the science of mindfulness and the findings of biology come together to show how kindness and optimism improve ...
Enhanced stability of tristetraprolin promotes bone health and reduces frailty
2024-03-19
Alexandria, VA, USA – A study aiming to use a novel transgenic mouse model (TTP knock-in – TTPKI) that has a moderate elevation of TTP systemically to understand if there is a long-term benefit for bone health, thus contributing towards healthy aging was presented at the 102nd General Session of the IADR, which was held in conjunction with the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research and the 48th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Dental Research, on March 13-16, 2024, in New Orleans, ...
Happiness poll: Democrats and Diden voters report more happiness than GOP and Trump supporters
2024-03-19
Voters of the Democratic party and U.S. President Joe Biden are happier than voters for the Republican party and former U.S. President Donald Trump, while older and wealthier adult voters are happier than younger and less-wealthy ones, according to a new Florida Atlantic University PolCom and Mainstreet Research happiness poll released today in advance of the United Nation’s International Day of Happiness on March 20.
“Happiness is important to understand as it influences the well-being and satisfaction of citizens, which in turn shapes their voting behavior,” said Carol Bishop Mills, Ph.D., FAU’s communication professor, PolCom co-director, and expert in relational ...
Mass General Brigham researchers develop AI foundation models to advance pathology
2024-03-19
Foundation models, advanced artificial intelligence systems trained on large-scale datasets, hold the potential to provide unprecedented advancements for the medical field. In computational pathology (CPath), these models may excel in diagnostic accuracy, prognostic insights, and predicting therapeutic responses. Researchers at Mass General Brigham have designed the two of the largest CPath foundation models to date: UNI and CONCH. These foundation models were adapted to over 30 clinical, diagnostic needs, including ...
Colorectal cancer screening in Araba (Basque Country)
2024-03-19
Background and objectives
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common malignancy worldwide. The average age at diagnosis of CRC is around 70 years old. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of asymptomatic CRC and premalignant lesions in the colon in OSI Araba.
Methods
This study included individuals aged 50–69 who were admitted to OSI Araba Health Centers. It spanned from the start of CRC screening through fecal occult blood test immunological analysis in 2009 to the publication of the latest updated data in 2021.
Results
An average of 90.98% of participants obtained a definitive result. Specifically, ...
Primary care telemedicine linked with fewer antibiotics for children than direct-to-consumer telemedicine
2024-03-19
New research from the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC shows that telemedicine visits conducted for children with primary care providers (PCPs) are associated with fewer antibiotic prescriptions than telemedicine visits with virtual-only direct-to-consumer (DTC) companies.
The findings, published in JAMA Network Open, highlight the importance of supporting integrated telemedicine within the primary care setting and the potential challenges and limitations of delivering virtual-only acute care to children.
“Respiratory tract infections are one of the most common reasons that kids receive antibiotics, ...