Relation between temperature and mortality in thirteen Spanish cities

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health Vol. 7; no. 8; pp. 3196 - 3210
• Main Authors: Iñiguez, Carmen, Ballester, Ferran, Ferrandiz, Juan, Pérez-Hoyos, Santiago, Sáez, Marc, López, Antonio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01-08-2010; MDPI (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute); Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI)
• Subjects: Atmospheric temperature; Cities; Climate; Cold Temperature; Data Collection; Espanya; Hot Temperature; Humans; Humidity; Mortalitat; Mortality; Mortality - trends; Public Health; Spain; Spain - epidemiology; Temperatura atmosfèrica; Temperature; Urban Population - statistics & numerical data; Spain; mortality; temperature; Spain
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph7083196

In this study we examined the shape of the association between temperature and mortality in 13 Spanish cities representing a wide range of climatic and socio-demographic conditions. The temperature value linked with minimum mortality (MMT) and the slopes before and after the turning point (MMT) were calculated. Most cities showed a V-shaped temperature-mortality relationship. MMTs were generally higher in cities with warmer climates. Cold and heat effects also depended on climate: effects were greater in hotter cities but lesser in cities with higher variability. The effect of heat was greater than the effect of cold. The effect of cold and MMT was, in general, greater for cardio-respiratory mortality than for total mortality, while the effect of heat was, in general, greater among the elderly.