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Changes in the association between summer temperature and mortality in Seoul, South Korea

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Abstract

The health impact of climate change depends on various conditions at any given time and place, as well as on the person. Temporal variations in the relationship between high temperature and mortality need to be explored in depth to explain how changes in the level of exposure and public health interventions modify the temperature–mortality relationship. We examined changes in the relationship between human mortality and temperature in Seoul, which has the highest population in South Korea, considering the change in population structure from 1993–2009. Poisson regression models were used to estimate short-term temperature-related mortality impacts. Temperature-related risks were divided into two “time periods” of approximately equal length (1993 and 1995–2000, and 2001–2009), and were also examined according to early summer and late summer. Temperature-related mortality in summer over the past 17 years has declined. These decreasing patterns were stronger for cardiovascular disease-related mortality than for all non-accidental deaths. The novel finding is that declines in temperature-related mortality were particularly noteworthy in late summer. Our results indicate that temperature-related mortality is decreasing in Seoul, particularly during late summer and, to a lesser extent, during early summer. This information would be useful for detailed public health preparedness for hot weather.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by projects “Development of Climate-Change Health Impact Assessment and Adaptation Technologies (No. 2011-046 and 2012-034)” in Korea Environment Institute, funded by Eco-Innovation, Ministry of the Environment (No. 412-111-001) and “The Study of Factors Influencing in Estimation for Future Disease Burden: Focused on High Temperature from Climate Change (No. BA2012-10)” funded by Korea Environment Institute and was also supported by the Global Research Lab (#K21004000001-10A0500-00710) through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. The funding agencies had no role in the analysis of data or preparation of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Korea Environment Institute, 290 Jinheungno, Eunpyeong-gu, Soeul, 122-706, South Korea

    Jongsik Ha

  2. Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health and the Institute of Health and Environment, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 151-142, South Korea

    Ho Kim

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  1. Jongsik Ha
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  2. Ho Kim
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Correspondence to Ho Kim.

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Ha, J., Kim, H. Changes in the association between summer temperature and mortality in Seoul, South Korea. Int J Biometeorol 57, 535–544 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-012-0580-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-012-0580-4

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