Journal
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
Volume 14, Issue 1, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph14010043
Keywords
indoor temperature; clinics; waiting rooms; rural; South Africa; climate change
Funding
- South African Medical Research Council
- National Treasury under its Economic Competitiveness and Support Package
- National Research Foundation
- SATREPS (Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development) Programme of JICA (JAPAN International Cooperation Agency)/AMED (Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development) in Japan
- ACCESS (Applied Centre for Climate and Earth Systems Science) program of NRF (National Research Foundation)
- DST (Department of Science and Technology in South Africa)
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Increased temperatures affect human health and vulnerable groups including infants, children, the elderly and people with pre-existing diseases. In the southern African region climate models predict increases in ambient temperature twice that of the global average temperature increase. Poor ventilation and lack of air conditioning in primary health care clinics, where duration of waiting time may be as long as several hours, pose a possible threat to patients seeking primary health care. Drawing on information measured by temperature loggers installed in eight clinics in Giyani, Limpopo Province of South Africa, we were able to determine indoor temperatures of waiting rooms in eight rural primary health care facilities. Mean monthly temperature measurements inside the clinics were warmer during the summer months of December, January and February, and cooler during the autumn months of March, April and May. The highest mean monthly temperature of 31.4 +/- 2.7 degrees C was recorded in one clinic during February 2016. Maximum daily indoor clinic temperatures exceeded 38 degrees C in some clinics. Indoor temperatures were compared to ambient (outdoor) temperatures and the mean difference between the two showed clinic waiting room temperatures were higher by 2-4 degrees C on average. Apparent temperature (AT) incorporating relative humidity readings made in the clinics showed 'realfeel' temperatures were > 4 degrees C higher than measured indoor temperature, suggesting a feeling of ` stuffiness' and discomfort may have been experienced in the waiting room areas. During typical clinic operational hours of 8h00 to 16h00, mean ATs fell into temperature ranges associated with heat-health impact warning categories of 'caution' and 'extreme caution'.
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