High Heat and Human Health: The Impacts of Heatwaves on Kidney Disease and Data Driven Solutions (The 4H Proposal)

Project Summary The last five years have been the hottest on record with urban areas suffering the brunt of increased temperatures through the urban heat island (UHI) effect. During periods of heatwaves, the UHI effect further increases local temperatures through and iterative process of increased energy use and storage, with urban areas commonly being 5-10C warmer than rural areas. The impact of heatwaves on human health are seen with increased morbidity and mortality during periods of heatwaves. Furthermore, there is increasing recognition of the detrimental impact of warming global temperatures on kidney functioning. The goal of this work is to 1) expand on previous work that established the relationship between heat waves and hospitalization due to kidney dysfunction by investigating potential environmental moderators (e.g., impervious land use, decreased green space, and being historically redlined) of this association; 2) utilize the knowledge to action theory of intervention development to translate these research findings into preliminary community action; and 3) obtain advanced skills and expertise in applied environmental health for reducing environmental health disparities due to a changing climate. This work will set the foundation for a larger, in-depth study aimed at testing and evaluating interventions to decrease the impacts of heatwaves on human health. Establishing community partnerships during the knowledge to action aim study will be paramount for future intervention refinement and evaluation. Future studies will continue to utilize the knowledge to action framework and principles of community based participatory research to develop innovative methodologies for decreasing environmental health disparities and creating health equity.