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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Mental Health
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1343550

Short-term effects of temperature-related indices on emergency ambulance dispatches due to mental and behavioral disorders in Shenzhen, China

Provisionally accepted
Ziming Yin Ziming Yin 1Maidina Jingesi Maidina Jingesi 1Zhao Yin Zhao Yin 2Siyi Chen Siyi Chen 1Suli Huang Suli Huang 3Jinquan Cheng Jinquan Cheng 3Xiaoheng Li Xiaoheng Li 4Ning Liu Ning Liu 4Peng Wang Peng Wang 1Ping Yin Ping Yin 1Hongwei Jiang Hongwei Jiang 1*
  • 1 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
  • 2 Department of Pharmacy, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
  • 3 Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shenzhen, China
  • 4 Department of Environment and Health, Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shenzhen, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Abstract Introduction: The precise associations between temperature-related indices and mental and behavioral disorders (MBDs) have yet to be fully elucidated. Our study aims to ascertain the most effective temperature-related index and assess its immediate impact on emergency ambulance dispatches (EADs) due to MBDs in Shenzhen, China. Methods: EADs data and meteorological data from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2020, in Shenzhen were collected. Distributed lag non-linear models (DLNMs) were utilized to examine the non-linear and lagged effects of temperature-related indices on EADs due to MBDs. The Quasi Akaike Information criterion (QAIC) was used to determine the optimal index after standardizing temperature-related indices. After adjusting for confounding factors in the model, we estimated the immediate and cumulative effects of temperature on EADs due to MBDs. Results: The analysis of short-term temperature effects on EADs due to MBDs revealed Humidex as the most suitable index. Referring to the optimal Humidex (3.2th percentile, 12.00℃), we observed a significant effect of Humidex over the threshold (34.6th percentile, 26.80°C) on EADs due to MBDs at lag 0–5. The cumulative relative risks for high temperature (90th percentile, 41.90°C) and extreme high temperature (99th percentile, 44.20°C) at lag 0–5 were 1.318 (95% CI: 1.159–1.499) and 1.338 (95% CI: 1.153–1.553), respectively. No significant cold effect was observed on EADs due to MBDs. Conclusions: High Humidex was associated with more EADs due to MBDs in subtropical regions. Health authorities should implement effective measures to raise public awareness of risks related to high temperature and protect vulnerable populations.

    Keywords: Emergency ambulance dispatches, Mental and behavioral disorders, Temperaturerelated indices, Humidity index, distributed lag non-linear models

    Received: 23 Nov 2023; Accepted: 03 May 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Yin, Jingesi, Yin, Chen, Huang, Cheng, Li, Liu, Wang, Yin and Jiang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Hongwei Jiang, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.