US Climate and Health Alliance

Assessing climate change and health vulnerability at the local level: Travis County, Texas

Abstract

We created a measure to help comprehend population vulnerability to potential flooding and excessive heat events using health, built environment and social factors. Through principal component analysis (PCA), we created non-weighted sum index scores of literature-reviewed social and built environment characteristics. We created baseline poor health measures using 1999-2005 age-adjusted cardiovascular and combined diabetes and hypertension mortality rates to correspond with social-built environment indices. We mapped US Census block groups by linked age-adjusted mortality and a PCA-created social-built environment index. The goal was to measure flooding and excessive heat event vulnerability as proxies for population vulnerability to climate change for Travis County, Texas. This assessment identified communities where baseline poor health, social marginalisation and built environmental impediments intersected. Such assessments may assist targeted interventions and improve emergency preparedness in identified vulnerable communities, while fostering resilience through the focus of climate change adaptation policies at the local level.

Resource Type
Peer-reviewed article
Authors
N Prudent A Houghton G Luber
Resource URL
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26748543
Publication
Disasters
Date
Jan 8, 2016
DOI
10.1111/disa.12177
Organization Type
Academic
Health and Human Impact
Overview/general
Climate and Environmental Impact
Overview/general
Solution
Climate adaptation/resilience
Region
Great plains
Other
Health impact assessment Vulnerability assessment

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