Newswise — UCI Public Health’s Tim Bruckner, PhD, a professor of health, society, and behavior joined a research team to analyze death certificate data during the Pacific Northwest heat wave and discovered the association of higher injury death rates. Injury deaths are categorized as drownings, traffic accidents, assaults, and suicides exceeded expectations as a result of the unprecedented heat wave.
They found that in June of 2021, injury deaths exceeded predictions by 21 deaths and by July of that time, death exceeded predictions by 93. These results coincide with additional evidence-based research that injury death rates vary by season in the U.S. confirming that temperature can notably influence injury death rates.
Findings are published in the American Journal of Public Health.
Even though the Pacific Northwest Heat Wave was a 1-in-1000-years event, it can happen again as climate change effects worsen. We need to create better public health interventions and awareness in order to manage the impact that rising temperatures can have on alcohol consumption, driving behaviors, levels of anger and despair, and increased swimming activities. Older adults, agricultural workers, and others undertaking strenuous physical activity in uncooled spaces are disproportionately at risk to the effects of heat.
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