Effective Community-Based Interventions for the Prevention and Management of Heat-Related Illnesses
This scoping review aims to summarise the evidence on the effectiveness of population-level heat-related intervention
Abstract
Extreme temperatures have negative consequences on the environment, ecosystem, and human health. With recent increases in global temperatures, there has been a rise in the burden of heat-related illnesses, with a disproportionate impact on low- and middle-income countries. Effective population-level interventions are critical to a successful public health response.
This scoping review aims to summarise the evidence on the effectiveness of population-level heat-related interventions and serve as a potential guide to the implementation of these interventions.
It concludes that heat action plans have shown promising results in reducing heat-related mortality and morbidity. Action plans have included instituting early warning systems, building local capacity to identify, prevent or treat and manage heat-related illnesses, and disseminating information. Nevertheless, these need to be cost-effective, easy to maintain, and should be specifically structured to meet the local needs and resources of the community and ideally not reliant on a mass effort from people.
This research was supported by the Research for Health in Humanitarian Crises (R2HC) Programme
Citation
Hasan F, Marsia S, Patel K, Agrawal P, Razzak JA. Effective Community-Based Interventions for the Prevention and Management of Heat-Related Illnesses: A Scoping Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Aug 7;18(16):8362. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18168362. PMID: 34444112; PMCID: PMC8394078.