NCCS-Impacts: Initial findings on heat and health
Heat can affect our well-being and pose a risk to our health. However, not everyone is affected in the same way. A research project is now delivering initial findings and tools to help identify vulnerable groups more effectively and provide them with targeted protection.
Hot days and heatwaves are becoming increasingly common in Switzerland. High temperatures can have a detrimental effect on human health. As part of the NCCS Impacts project «Human and Animal Health», research was carried out to investigate how rising temperatures affect health and which population groups are particularly vulnerable. The findings and outputs provide a basis for decision-making for stakeholders in the fields of health, the environment, research and politics, enabling them to better identify particularly vulnerable population groups and protect them in a targeted manner.
What was developed?
One of the products is a web tool featuring an interactive map. It combines data on the spatial distribution of heat intensity with information on particularly vulnerable groups of the population, based on examples from the cities of Basel, Bern and Zurich. The tool makes it possible to visualise spatial differences and identify areas with an increased health risk.
In addition, another web tool has been developed that estimates emergency consultations in hospitals during heatwaves. This application is based on data from Bern. Players from other institutions have the opportunity to enter their own data and thus generate individual forecasts.
Further work includes technical reports on the clinical profiles of vulnerable
individuals based on hospitalisation and home care data, as well as on future temperature-related mortality in 143 regions of Switzerland. Complementary fact sheets with practical recommendations summarise the content clearly and in an easily understandable manner.