With the aging of the human body, some physiological changes occur, compromising thermoregulatory mechanisms, negatively influencing the individual's thermal sensation. Given this fact, the present study aimed to build a predictive model to determine the thermal sensation index for elderly people (TSIEP) in a hot climate region, considering their sensitivity in the perception of climate change in the city of Campina Grande, in the semi-arid region of Paraíba/Brazil. For this purpose, an observational study was carried out from April to December 2016 with elderly people inside their homes. The responses of the sample units (elderly people) to the categories of thermal sensation (hot, comfortable, and cold) were transformed into probit estimates, and, using the multivariate modeling statistical technique (canonical correlation), the TSIEP was determined. Finally, TSIEP showed that the thermal sensation of elderly people residing in Campina Grande tends to be more sensitive to cold and less sensitive to heat.
Keywords: Elderly people; Residential architecture; Semi-arid; Thermal sensation.
© 2021. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to International Society of Biometeorology.