Only 25% of older Queenslanders are aware of the risks heatwaves pose to their health, modern research shows

Parts of Australia are currently struggling extreme heatand high temperatures will continue in the coming days.

While it’s unclear what exactly the upcoming summer will bring, climate change does mean Australian summer they are getting hotter. Even this year, temperatures in August reached around 40°C in some parts of the country.

Heatwaves aren’t just unpleasant – they can be deadly. Extreme heat-related health crises are placing significant strain on our health care systems, and data shows they are increasing calling an ambulance AND hospital presentations during these periods.

While heatwaves can affect anyone, older people are particularly at risk. But ours new research found that older Queenslanders do not necessarily believe that heat poses a risk to their health. And this affects how they respond to emergency warnings.

Older people and heat

Aging causes physiological changes, including reduced ability to work regulate body temperaturewhich can put older people at increased risk of problems such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Exposure to heat can as well worsen symptoms existing conditions, such as heart, lung or kidney disease, which are more common in older people.

There is a risk even clearer for older people who live in substandard housing, are in an economically disadvantaged situation or are socially isolated.

Report from Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows that of the 2,150 hospitalizations due to extreme heat in 2019–2022, 37% were in people aged 65 and over (which constitute approximately 16% of the population).

There is therefore an urgent need to prioritize the health of older Australians, and the country is preparing to do so more intense and long-lasting heatwaves in the future.

Early warning systems

As we have learned more about the dangers of heatwaves, there has been greater emphasis on developing population-based early warning systems. These systems play a key role in encouraging people to adopt heat-protective behaviors, such as staying hydrated, avoiding strenuous physical activity in high temperatures, and wearing loose or lightweight clothing.

Queensland is one of the best in the world the most vulnerable regions for heat waves. Since 2015, heat wave warnings have been part of the state’s warnings heatwave subplanwhich identifies strategies to manage and mitigate the effects of extreme heat.

These warnings include notices of upcoming high temperatures and advice to stay composed. They appear as notifications via the Bureau of Meteorology’s weather app, media or social media. However, it is not clear whether these warnings reach those most at risk.

As part A wider project about extreme heat and the elderly – we conducted a survey 547 Queenslanders aged 65 and over to understand their perception of heat risks and whether they are receiving heatwave warnings.

We also wanted to understand what factors influence how people receive and respond to warnings to understand how we can improve heatwave warnings for this group.

What we found

Only 25% of respondents were aware of the potential consequences of heat waves on their health. The majority of participants (80%) perceived themselves as being at lower risk compared to others in their age group. That’s right previous research on thermal health Which found similarly often older people don’t feel warm as a personal risk.

Although the majority of the sample (87%) reported suffering from one or more chronic diseases, 30% did not realize that having a chronic disease increases their vulnerability to heatwaves.

Several cultural and personal factors may explain why older people do not believe that heat poses a threat to them. In Australia, heat is usually perceived as normal, even positive part of life. Heat advisories are often less urgent than warnings about other natural disasters.

We also found that almost half of respondents had not heard the heatwave warning. Of those who did, about half took steps to stay composed.

Our analysis showed that participants’ awareness and actions in response to heat wave warnings were significantly influenced by their knowledge and perception of heat-related risks. Factors such as age, gender and education were not that crucial.

Respondents who believed they were at risk were almost twice as likely to hear warnings and 3.6 times more likely to take action to protect themselves from heat.

That’s right other research which highlights the correlation between heat and health risk perception and the effectiveness of heat wave warnings.

One limitation of our study is that we conducted it during and after 2022 La Nina periodwhere temperatures are usually lower. Therefore, there may have been fewer heat wave warnings throughout the season, potentially reducing participants’ perceptions of heat-related health risks.

What needs to be changed?

With another scorching summer likely to come, we need to rethink how we communicate about heatwaves. It’s more than just scorching days. We must recognize heatwaves as a earnest health risk, especially for older people, and effectively communicate these risks to the public.

This may include using primary care workers such as GPs, nurses and pharmacists to share heat-related health information with older patients and their family members or developing personalized heat action plans for the summer.

Text alerts from the Bureau of Meteorology along with app notifications may be a good idea, given that some older adults may not have a smartphone or be open to using the app.

To improve communication during heatwaves, we also need to investigate barriers and facilitators Down heat-protective behaviors. This includes considering structural factors (such as housing design), environmental factors (for example, access to shade and frigid shelters), individual factors (such as financial constraints or health conditions), and social factors (such as access to family and community support). .

Strengthening communication about heatwaves and health will not only protect individual well-being, but escalate community resilience as extreme heat continues to impact our lives.