Advertisement

Environmental Science and Pollution Research

, Volume 24, Issue 11, pp 10630–10639 | Cite as

How hard they hit? Perception, adaptation and public health implications of heat waves in urban and peri-urban Pakistan

  • Sara Rauf
  • Khuda Bakhsh
  • Azhar Abbas
  • Sarfraz Hassan
  • Asghar Ali
  • Harald Kächele
Research Article
First Online:
Received:
Accepted:

Abstract

Heat waves threaten human health given the fast changing climatic scenarios in the recent past. Adaptation to heat waves would take place when people perceive their impacts based on their knowledge. The present study examines perception level and its determinants resulting in adaptation to heat waves in Pakistan. The study used cross-sectional data from urban and peri-urban respondents of Faisalabad District. The study employs a health belief model to assess risk perception among the respondents. Logistic model is used to determine factors affecting level of knowledge, perception and adaptation to heat waves. Around 30% of peri-urban respondents have a low level of knowledge about the fatal impacts of heat waves. Risk perception of heat waves is very low among urban (57%) and peri-urban (66%) respondents. Households’ knowledge on heat waves is significantly related to age, gender, education, wealth and access to health services. Determinants of perception include knowledge of heat waves, age and joint effect of marital status and knowledge while income level, family size, urban/peri-urban background, perceived barriers, perceived benefits and cues to action significantly affect adaptation to heat waves. To reduce deadly health impacts, mass awareness campaigns are needed to build perception and improve adaptation to heat waves.

Keywords

Impacts Mitigation Health belief model Mortality Socioeconomic Climate change 
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Notes

Acknowledgments

This work is based on the M.Sc. (Hons) work of the first author. Authors are extremely thankful for the valuable suggestions by Dr. Zulfiqar Ahmad Saqib and Dr. Muhammad Usman. We are also grateful to the respondents for agreeing to provide required information for this study.

Supplementary material

11356_2017_8756_MOESM1_ESM.pdf (252 kb)
ESM 1 (PDF 251 kb)
11356_2017_8756_MOESM2_ESM.pdf (274 kb)
ESM 2 (PDF 274 kb)
11356_2017_8756_MOESM3_ESM.pdf (359 kb)
ESM 3 (PDF 359 kb)

References

  1. Abbas A, Amjath-Babu TS, Kächele H, Müller K (2016) Participatory adaptation to climate extremes: an assessment of households’ willingness to contribute labor for flood risk mitigation in Pakistan. J Water Clim Change 7(3):621–636CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  2. Akompab DA, Bi P, Williams S, Grant J, Augoustinos A et al (2013a) Heat waves and climate change: applying the health belief model to identify predictors of risk perception and adaptive behaviours in Adelaide, Australia. Int J Env Res Public Health 10:2164–2184CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  3. Akompab DA, Bi P, Williams S, Grant J, Walker AI, Martha A (2013b) Awareness of and attitudes towards heat waves within the context of climate change among a cohort of residents in Adelaide, Australia. Int J Env Res Public Health 10:1–17CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  4. Algina J, Olejnik S (2003) Sample size tables for correlation analysis with applications in partial correlation and multiple regression analysis. Multivar Behav Res 38(3):309–323CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  5. Balbach ED, Smith EA, Malone RE (2006) How the health belief model helps the tobacco industry: individuals, choice and information. Tob Control 15:37–43CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  6. Bi L, Ding G, Gu S, Bi P, Su B, Qin D, Xu G, Liu Q (2014) The effects of summer temperature and heat waves on heat-related illness in a coastal city of China, 2011–2013. Environ Res 132:212–219CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  7. Bouchama A, Dehbi M, Mohamed G, Matthies F, Menne B (2007) Prognostic factors in heat wave related deaths: a meta-analysis. Arch Inter Med 167:2170–2176CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  8. Carvalho A (2007) Ideological cultures and media discourses on scientific knowledge: re-reading news on climate change. Public Underst Sci 16:223–243CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  9. Das S, Smith SC (2012) Awareness as an adaptation strategy for reducing mortality from heat waves: evidence from a disaster risk management program in India. SANDEE Working Paper, p.72–12Google Scholar
  10. Deressa TT, Hassan RM, Ringler C (2011) Perception of and adaptation to climate change by farmers in the Nile basin of Ethiopia. J Agric Sci 149:23–31CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  11. Dole R, Hoerling M, Perlwitz J, Eischeid J, Pegion P, Zhang T et al (2011) Was there a basis for anticipating the 2010 Russian heat wave? Geophys Res Lett 38:1–5CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  12. Fai CM (2009) Factors affecting knowledge, attitudes, and skills levels for nursing staff toward the clinical management system in Hong Kong. Comp Inform Nurs 27:57–65CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  13. Falco SD, Veronesi M, Yesuf M (2011) Does adaptation to climate change provide food security? A micro perspective from Ethiopia. Am J Agric Econ 93:829–846CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  14. Glum J (2015) Pakistan heat wave 2015: death toll exceeds 1,200 as Karachi struggles with continued extreme weather during Ramadan. Int Busin Times dated 27-06-2015. Available online at http://www.ibtimes.com/pakistan-heat-wave-2015-death-toll-exceeds-1200-karachi-struggles-continued-extreme-1986866
  15. Green SB (1991) How many subjects does it take to do a regression analysis. Multivar Behav Res 26(3):499–510CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  16. Hansen A, Bi P, Nitschke M, Ryan P, Pisaniello D, Tucker G (2008) The effect of heat waves on mental health in a temperate Australian City. Environ Health Perspect 116:1369–1375CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  17. Hansen A, Bi P, Nitschke M, Pisaniello D, Newbury J, Kiston A (2011) Perceptions of heat-susceptibility in older persons: barriers to adaptation. Int J Env Res Public Health 8:4714–4728CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  18. IPCC (2013) Summary for policymakers In: climate change 2013: the physical science basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Stocker, T.F., D. Qin, G.-K. Plattner, M. Tignor, S.K. Allen, J. Boschung, A. Nauels, Y. Xia, V. Bex and P.M. Midgley (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, CambridgeGoogle Scholar
  19. Janz NK, Becker MH (1984) The health belief model: a decade later. Health Educ Quart 11:1–47CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  20. Jha MK (2010) Natural and anthropogenic disasters: an overview. In: Jha MK (ed) Natural and anthropogenic disasters: vulnerability, preparedness and mitigation. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 1–16Google Scholar
  21. Kosatsky T, Dufresne J, Richard L, Renouf A, Giannetti N, Bourbeau J et al (2009) Heat awareness and response among Montreal residents with chronic cardiac and pulmonary disease. Can J Public Health 100:237–240Google Scholar
  22. Kovats RS, Hajat S (2008) Heat stress and public health: a critical review. Annu Rev Public Health 29:1–15CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  23. Liu T, Xu YJ, Zhang YH, Yan QH, Song XL, Xie HY et al (2013) Associations between risk perception, spontaneous adaptation behavior to heat waves and heatstroke in Guangdong Province, China. BMC Public Health 13:1–14CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  24. Malik SM, Awan H, Khan N (2012) Mapping vulnerability to climate change and its repercussions on human health in Pakistan. Glob Health 8(31):1–10Google Scholar
  25. Mccright AM (2010) The effects of gender on climate change knowledge and concern in the American public. Popul Environ 32:66–87CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  26. Meehl GA, Tebaldi C (2004) More intense, more frequent, and longer lasting heat waves in the 21st century. Sci 305:994–997CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  27. MHHDC (2005) Human development in South Asia: human security in South Asia. Mahbub-ul-Haq Human Development Centre, Oxford University Press, KarachiGoogle Scholar
  28. Page LA, Hajat S, Kovats RS (2007) Relationship between daily suicide counts and temperature in England and Wales. Br J Psychiatry 191:106–112CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  29. Robine JM, Cheung SLK, Le Roy S, Oyen HV, Griffiths C, Michel JP et al (2008) Death toll exceeded 70,000 in Europe during the summer of 2003. Comp Rend Biol 331:171–178CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  30. Ruddell D, Harlan SL, Grossman-Clarke S, Chowell G (2012) Scales of perception: public awareness of regional and neighbourhood climates. Clim Chang 111:581–607CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  31. Saeed F, Suleri, AQ (2015) Future heat waves in Pakistan under IPCC’s climate change scenario. Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) Policy Brief 46, Islamabad, PakistanGoogle Scholar
  32. Semenza JC, Wilson DJ, Parra J, Bontempo BD, Hart M, Sailer DJ et al (2008) Public perception and behavior change in relationship to hot weather and air pollution. Environ Res 107:401–411CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  33. Sharples DM (2010) Communicating climate science: evaluating the UK public’s attitude to climate change. Earth Env 5:185–205Google Scholar
  34. Sheikh S, Tunio S (2013) Pakistan wilts under record heat wave. Thomson Reuters Foundation. Available: http://streettimes.com.pk/pakistan-wilts-under-record-heat-wave/. Accessed 5 April 2016
  35. Sherwood SC, Huber M (2010) An adaptability limit to climate change due to heat stress. P Nat Acad Sci 107:9552–9555CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  36. Spence A, Poortinga W, Butler C, Pidgeon NF (2011) Perceptions of climate change and willingness to save energy related to flood experience. Nat Clim Chang 1:46–49CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  37. Vandentorren S, Bretin P, Zeghnoun A, Mandereau-Bruno L, Croisier A, Cochet C et al (2006) August 2003 heat wave in France: risk factors for death of elderly people living at home. Eur J Pub Health 16:583–591CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  38. Vidal J, Sethna R (2013) Pakistan can expect worse heat waves to come, meteorologists warn. Available: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/jun/14/pakistan-heatwave-meteorologist. Accessed 12 Jan 2016
  39. Woodruff RE, McMichael T, Butler C, Hales S (2006) Action on climate change: the health risks of procrastinating. Aust N Z J Public Health 30(6):567–571CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  40. Zahid M, Rasul G (2010) Rise in summer heat index over Pakistan. Pak J Met 6(12):85–96Google Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2017

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Institute of Agricultural and Resource EconomicsUniversity of AgricultureFaisalabadPakistan
  2. 2.Department of Management SciencesCOMSATS Institute of Information TechnologyVehariPakistan
  3. 3.Institute of SocioeconomicsLeibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF)MünchebergGermany

Personalised recommendations