Citation

Liotta G, Inzerilli MC, Palombi L, Madaro O, Orlando S, Scarcella P, Betti D, Marazzi MC. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018; 15(4): e15040715.

Affiliation

Department of Human Studies, LUMSA University-Via Della Traspontina 21, 00193 Roma, Italy. mcmarazzi@gmail.com.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, MDPI: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute)

DOI

10.3390/ijerph15040715

PMID

29641436

Abstract

This study focuses on the impact of a program aimed at reducing heat-related mortality among older adults residing in central Rome by counteracting social isolation. The mortality of citizens over the age of 75 living in three Urban Areas (UAs) located in central Rome is compared with that of the residents of four adjacent UAs during the summer of 2015. The data, broken down by UA, were provided by the Statistical Office of the Municipality of Rome, which gathers them on a routine basis. During the summer of 2015, 167 deaths were recorded in those UAs in which the Long Live the Elderly (LLE) program was active and 169 in those in which it was not, implying cumulative mortality rates of 25‰ (SD ± 1.4; Cl 95%: 23-29) and 29‰ (SD ± 6.7; Cl 95%: 17-43), respectively. Relative to the summer of 2014, the increase of deaths during the summer of 2015 was greater in UAs in which the LLE program had not been implemented (+97.3% vs. +48.8%). In conclusion, the paper shows the impact of a community-based active monitoring program, focused on strengthening individual relationship networks and the social capital of the community, on mortality in those over 75 during heat waves.

Language: en

Keywords

heat-related mortality; older adults; social care program; urban environment