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Association between temperature variability and hospitalizations among First Nations Australians in Central Australia
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Association between temperature variability and hospitalizations among First Nations Australians in Central Australia

Mohammad Radwanur Talukder, Rishu Thakur, Md Tauhidul Islam, Supriya Mathew, Chris Perry, Winnie Chen, Dung Phung and Syed Moshfiqur Rahman
Heliyon, Vol.11(10), e43394
2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e43394
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Published3.91 MBDownloadView
CC BY V4.0,  Open Access

Abstract

Central Australia Climate change First Nations people Hospitalizations Temperature variability
Little is known about the temperature and health effects of the desert climate in Central Australia, Northern Territory (NT). The objectives of this study are to assess the risks of all-cause and cause-specific hospitalizations for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), infectious diseases (IDs), mental disorders and respiratory diseases (RDs). We also assessed the effect of temperature variability (TV) on hospitalizations amongst First Nations Australians. Daily hospitalization data from 2010 to 2021 for all-cause and cause-specific conditions from Alice Springs Hospital, Central Australia, were used. TV was calculated from the standard deviation of the minimum and maximum temperatures for the exposure days. Quasi-Poisson regression model was applied to assess the association between TV and hospitalizations, and by demographic characteristics including First Nations status. A total of 127,755 hospitalizations were recorded. Increased risks of total all-cause, ID, and RD hospitalizations were observed following exposure to TV for a range of hot temperatures but were more consistent for presummer (spring) moderately hot temperatures. Exposure to TV for the previous 6 days (i.e., TV0-5) was associated with an estimated 1.8 % (95 % CI: 0.33 %, 3.29 %) increase in all-cause, 4.94 % (95 % CI: 0.16 %, 9.95 %) increase in ID, and a 4.48 % (95 % CI: 1.47 %, 7.59 %) increase in RD hospitalizations for moderately hot temperatures. In First Nations Australians TV0-4 was associated with an estimated 1.98 % increase (95 % CI, 0.44, 3.55 %) in total hospitalizations. Increased risks of total hospitalizations were also observed among the <18 and >45 years age groups and women for different TV exposure days. Overall, 12.7 % (i.e., 16,205 cases) of total hospitalizations were attributed to exposure to TV (TV0-5). With projected climate change, increasing exposure to extreme temperatures in Central Australia is more likely. Therefore, concerted and context-specific adaptation approaches are essential to mitigate temperature-related health effects and address the gap in health outcomes for First Nations peoples. •Semi-arid Central Australia is home to a high proportion of First Nations people.•This region has extreme temperatures but lacks data on temperature-health links.•Temperature variability is associated with hospitalizations risks in moderate hot season.•Higher risks were observed in First Nations Australians, women, children, and elderly.

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being
#10 Reduced Inequalities

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