Impact of temperature on childhood pneumonia estimated from satellite remote sensing.
The effect of temperature on childhood pneumonia in subtropical regions is largely unknown so far. This study examined the impact of temperature on childhood pneumonia in Brisbane, Australia. A quasi-Poisson generalized linear model combined with a distributed lag non-linear model was used to quantify the main effect of temperature on emergency department visits (EDVs) for childhood pneumonia in Brisbane from 2001 to 2010. The model residuals were checked to identify added effects due to heat waves or cold spells. Both high and low temperatures were associated with an increase in EDVs for childhood pneumonia. Children aged 2-5 years, and female children were particularly vulnerable to the impacts of heat and cold, and Indigenous children were sensitive to heat. Heat waves and cold spells had significant added effects on childhood pneumonia, and the magnitude of these effects increased with intensity and duration. There were changes over time in both the main and added effects of temperature on childhood pneumonia. Children, especially those female and Indigenous, should be particularly protected from extreme temperatures. Future development of early warning systems should take the change over time in the impact of temperature on children's health into account.
School of Public Health and Social Work & Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Zhiwei
Z
Xu
Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States.
Yang
Y
Liu
Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States.
Zongwei
Z
Ma
School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Shenghui
S
Li
School of Public Health and Social Work & Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Wenbiao
W
Hu
School of Public Health and Social Work & Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. Electronic address: s.tong@qut.edu.au.
Shilu
S
Tong
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003080:Cold Temperature / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006358:Hot Temperature / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D011793:Queensland / Q000453:epidemiology; D058998:Remote Sensing Technology
Children; Heat waves; Pneumonia; Remote sensing; Temperature