An intervention study of the rural elderly for improving exposure, risk perception and behavioral responses under high temperature

Abstract

The frequency and intensity of high-temperature events continue to increase, resulting in a surge of pathogenicity and mortality. People with low levels of risk perception and adaptability, such as the elderly, suffer more from high temperatures. Effective intervention measures may lead to reduced levels of high temperature-related risk. The purpose of this study was to compare changes in temperature exposure, risk perception and coping behaviors under different intervention methods. Herein we conducted three different interventions including education, subsidies for electricity and uses of spray-cooling appliances as well as collected data about temperature exposure, risk perception, and coping behaviors. Before and after the experiment, we evaluated the intervention effectiveness with a number of variables related to alerting human responses under high temperatures. We conducted nonparametric tests for paired samples and generalized linear mixed effect models. Compared with subsidy support and outdoor spray-cooling methods, education is more effective as it leads to lower levels of temperature exposure, higher levels of risk perception, and more behavioral responses. The subsidy support intervention is useful in increasing risk perception and promoting home cooling practices as well. In comparison, spray cooling barely contributes to the reduction of personal temperature exposure. The encouragement of risk-related education and continued government subsidy may prevent elderly individuals from experiencing high-temperature exposure.

Keywords

• high temperature
• risk perception
• behavior
• intervention
• elderly
• rural