Aim: Studies examining the relationship between thermal comfort conditions-the state of feeling insulated against atmospheric factors in the environment-and diseases have been very limited. In Turkey, which is in the transition zone of air masses in middle latitudes, thermal comfort conditions change frequently due to sudden weather changes. This study was conducted to examine the relationship between thermal comfort conditions and respiratory diseases in Amasya, an exemplary Turkish city in the Black Sea Region of Turkey.
Subject and methods: To determine the thermal comfort conditions in the study between 2017 and 2019, the PET (physiologically equivalent temperature) index obtained from the RayMan model was used for data including hourly air temperature (°C), relative humidity (%), wind velocity (m/s), and cloud cover (octa). Daily air temperature data were also obtained. The relationship between PET values and air temperature and respiratory disease hospital admissions was analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis and linear regression analysis.
Results: The results revealed a very high negative correlation between both thermal comfort conditions (PET) and air temperature and respiratory diseases (p < 0.000). The results show that with an increase of 1 °C in thermal comfort conditions (PET), hospital admissions due to respiratory diseases will decrease by approximately 64 to 67 patients. It is predicted that the number of patients will decrease by approximately 89 to 94 with an increase of 1 °C in air temperature.
Conclusion: These findings can be informative and serve as guidance for decision-makers in efforts to protect public health, for preventive medicine studies, and for studies on the effects of climate change on human health.
Keywords: PET; Public health; Respiratory diseases; Thermal comfort; Turkey; Urban health.
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