But the changes across Europe were not enough. “It’s a spectrum” across different regions and populations, said Dr. Ballester.
Older people remain at high risk, particularly those who do not have access to air conditioning, and the same goes for people who work outdoors. Older women were probably the worst-off group last summer simply because they live longer than men at the age when people are most frail and likely to die in severe heat, said Dr. Ballester. He said other researchers have looked at the reasons for demographic differences in mortality rates: for example, men tend to have poorer health outcomes at younger ages, and some outdoor occupations, such as construction, are male-dominated.
This article didn’t compare deaths among people of different races or ethnicities, but that’s another important factor in heat vulnerability, said Juan Declet-Barreto, a senior social scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists who studies the health effects of environmental hazards studied and was not involved in this study. while dr Declet-Barreto, who is less familiar with demographics in Europe, said that in the United States, people who work outdoors and are more exposed to the heat tend to be black immigrants.
Eurostat does not have a breakdown of excess mortality data by race, ethnicity or immigration status, an agency spokesman wrote by email. dr In their paper, Ballester and his colleagues recommended that countries reporting to Eurostat better coordinate the way they collect and share health data, including more demographic breakdowns. This year, the European Parliament proposed a regulation to do just that.
Even without additional demographic information, the study is “very timely” given this summer’s extreme heat, said Dr. Declet barreto. He thought the study’s methods made sense because “there’s a fairly well-known public health association between heat and excess deaths.” He also agreed that comparing the 2022 and 2003 heatwaves would be helpful in identifying what health and policy interventions are still needed.
Four years ago, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies released a guide to help city officials respond to heat waves. Recommendations included changes to homes and physical infrastructure, such as improving energy efficiency and ventilation.
dr Declet-Barreto said he and other public health researchers found that the most important factor in preventing deaths during heat waves was improving access to air conditioning.