SynthesisBMC public health2014
Is planned adaptation to heat reducing heat-related mortality and illness? A systematic review.
Synthesis in BMC public health, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 50 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
50 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Knowledge Gaps and Research Priorities on the Health Effects of Heatwaves: A Systematic Review of Reviews.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Climate change adaptation in South Africa: a case study on the role of the health sector.Globalization and health · 2019Pooled it
- Impact of community education on heat-related health outcomes and heat literacy among low-income communities in Karachi, Pakistan: a randomised controlled trial.BMJ global health · 2022Trial
- The Effect of an Automated Phone Warning and Health Advisory System on Adaptation to High Heat Episodes and Health Services Use in Vulnerable Groups-Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2018Trial
- Heat, Brain, and Mental Health: Biological Mechanisms Underlying Climate-Related Psychiatric Outcomes.Biology · 2026Review
- Urban-rural disparities in heatwave effects on under-5 mortality in China, 2009-2019: a nationwide case-crossover study.The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific · 2026Article
- Cause-specific heat-related mortality in Rio de Janeiro city: Comparing exposure metrics and the role of exposure duration.Environmental epidemiology (Philadelphia, Pa.) · 2026Article
- Trees halve urban heat island effect globally but unequal benefits only modestly mitigate climate-change warming.Nature communications · 2026Article
- The impact of heat and cold events on direct, indirect, and intangible healthcare costs: a systematic review.The European journal of health economics : HEPAC : health economics in prevention and care · 2026Article
- Climate resilience adaptation and psychiatric emergency services utilization during extreme heat in Boston, MA: a difference-in-differences analysis.Environment international · 2026Article
- The effectiveness of heat prevention plans in reducing heat-related mortality across Europe.Environmental research letters : ERL [Web site] · 2025Article
- The Spectrum of Heat-Related Diseases - A Meta-Review.International journal of public health · 2025Review
- Temporal changes in temperature-related mortality in relation to the establishment of the heat-health alert system in Victoria, Australia.International journal of biometeorology · 2024Article
- Homes Heat Health protocol: an observational cohort study measuring the effect of summer temperatures on sleep quality.BMJ open · 2024Observational
- Planning to Reduce the Health Impacts of Extreme Heat: A Content Analysis of Heat Action Plans in Local United States Jurisdictions.American journal of public health · 2023Article
- Improvement in the diagnosis and practices of emergency healthcare providers for heat emergencies after HEAT (heat emergency awareness & treatment) an educational intervention: a multicenter quasi-experimental study.BMC emergency medicine · 2023Article
- Heat Adaptation among the Elderly in Spain (1983-2018).International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Evaluations of heat action plans for reducing the health impacts of extreme heat: methodological developments (2012-2021) and remaining challenges.International journal of biometeorology · 2022Review
- Science Policy to Advance a Climate Change and Health Research Agenda in the United States.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Heat Emergencies: Perceptions and Practices of Community Members and Emergency Department Healthcare Providers in Karachi, Pakistan: A Qualitative Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundExtreme heat is an important public health risk. Climate change will likely increase the temperatures humans are exposed to through exacerbated heat wave intensity and frequency, possibly increasing health risks from heat. To prevent adverse effects on human health, heat prevention plans and climate change adaptation strategies are being implemented. But are these measures effectively reducing heat-related mortality and morbidity? This study assesses the evidence base in 2014.
methodsWe conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed published literature. We applied a combined search strategy of automated search and journal content search using the electronic databases PubMed, Web of Knowledge, Biological Abstracts, CAB Abstracts and ProQuest Dissertation & Theses A&I. Quality appraisal was conducted using CASP checklists, and we identified recurrent themes in studies with content analysis methodology. We conducted sub-group analyses for two types of studies: survey and interview research on behavioral change and perception, and observational studies with regression.
results30 articles were included in the review. The majority of studies (n = 17) assessed mortality or morbidity reductions with regression analysis. Overall, the assessments report a reduction of adverse effects during extreme heat in places where preventive measures have been implemented. Population perception and behavior change were assessed in five studies, none of which had carried out a pre-test. Two themes emerged from the review: methodological challenges are a major hindrance to rigorous evaluation, and what counts as proof of an effective reduction in adverse health outcomes is disputed.
conclusionsAttributing health outcomes to heat adaptation remains a challenge. Recent study designs are less rigorous due to difficulties assigning the counterfactual. While sensitivity to heat is decreasing, the examined studies provide inconclusive evidence on individual planned adaptation measures.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.