TY - JOUR
T1 - Association between temperature variability and hospitalizations among First Nations Australians in Central Australia
AU - Talukder, Mohammad Radwanur
AU - Thakur, Rishu
AU - Islam, Md Tauhidul
AU - Mathew, Supriya
AU - Perry, Chris
AU - Chen, Winnie
AU - Phung, Dung
AU - Rahman, Syed Moshfiqur
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 The Authors
PY - 2025/5
Y1 - 2025/5
N2 - Background: Little is known about the temperature and health effects of the desert climate in Central Australia, Northern Territory (NT). The objectives of this study are to assess the risks of all-cause and cause-specific hospitalizations for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), infectious diseases (IDs), mental disorders and respiratory diseases (RDs). We also assessed the effect of temperature variability (TV) on hospitalizations amongst First Nations Australians. Methods: Daily hospitalization data from 2010 to 2021 for all-cause and cause-specific conditions from Alice Springs Hospital, Central Australia, were used. TV was calculated from the standard deviation of the minimum and maximum temperatures for the exposure days. Quasi-Poisson regression model was applied to assess the association between TV and hospitalizations, and by demographic characteristics including First Nations status.Results: A total of 127,755 hospitalizations were recorded. Increased risks of total all-cause, ID, and RD hospitalizations were observed following exposure to TV for a range of hot temperatures but were more consistent for presummer (spring) moderately hot temperatures. Exposure to TV for the previous 6 days (i.e., TV0-5) was associated with an estimated 1.8 % (95 % CI: 0.33 %, 3.29 %) increase in all-cause, 4.94 % (95 % CI: 0.16 %, 9.95 %) increase in ID, and a 4.48 % (95 % CI: 1.47 %, 7.59 %) increase in RD hospitalizations for moderately hot temperatures. In First Nations Australians TV0-4 was associated with an estimated 1.98 % increase (95 % CI, 0.44, 3.55 %) in total hospitalizations. Increased risks of total hospitalizations were also observed among the <18 and >45 years age groups and women for different TV exposure days. Overall, 12.7 % (i.e., 16,205 cases) of total hospitalizations were attributed to exposure to TV (TV0-5). Conclusions: With projected climate change, increasing exposure to extreme temperatures in Central Australia is more likely. Therefore, concerted and context-specific adaptation approaches are essential to mitigate temperature-related health effects and address the gap in health outcomes for First Nations peoples.
AB - Background: Little is known about the temperature and health effects of the desert climate in Central Australia, Northern Territory (NT). The objectives of this study are to assess the risks of all-cause and cause-specific hospitalizations for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), infectious diseases (IDs), mental disorders and respiratory diseases (RDs). We also assessed the effect of temperature variability (TV) on hospitalizations amongst First Nations Australians. Methods: Daily hospitalization data from 2010 to 2021 for all-cause and cause-specific conditions from Alice Springs Hospital, Central Australia, were used. TV was calculated from the standard deviation of the minimum and maximum temperatures for the exposure days. Quasi-Poisson regression model was applied to assess the association between TV and hospitalizations, and by demographic characteristics including First Nations status.Results: A total of 127,755 hospitalizations were recorded. Increased risks of total all-cause, ID, and RD hospitalizations were observed following exposure to TV for a range of hot temperatures but were more consistent for presummer (spring) moderately hot temperatures. Exposure to TV for the previous 6 days (i.e., TV0-5) was associated with an estimated 1.8 % (95 % CI: 0.33 %, 3.29 %) increase in all-cause, 4.94 % (95 % CI: 0.16 %, 9.95 %) increase in ID, and a 4.48 % (95 % CI: 1.47 %, 7.59 %) increase in RD hospitalizations for moderately hot temperatures. In First Nations Australians TV0-4 was associated with an estimated 1.98 % increase (95 % CI, 0.44, 3.55 %) in total hospitalizations. Increased risks of total hospitalizations were also observed among the <18 and >45 years age groups and women for different TV exposure days. Overall, 12.7 % (i.e., 16,205 cases) of total hospitalizations were attributed to exposure to TV (TV0-5). Conclusions: With projected climate change, increasing exposure to extreme temperatures in Central Australia is more likely. Therefore, concerted and context-specific adaptation approaches are essential to mitigate temperature-related health effects and address the gap in health outcomes for First Nations peoples.
KW - Central Australia
KW - Climate change
KW - First Nations people
KW - Hospitalizations
KW - Temperature variability
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105005185477&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e43394
DO - 10.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e43394
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105005185477
SN - 2405-8440
VL - 11
SP - 1
EP - 11
JO - Heliyon
JF - Heliyon
IS - 10
M1 - e43394
ER -
