The Effects of Temperature and Use of Air Conditioning on Hospitalizations

Several investigators have documented the effect of temperature on mortality, although fewer have studied its impact on morbidity. In addition, little is known about the effectiveness of mitigation strategies such as use of air conditioners (ACs). The authors investigated the association between temperature and hospital admissions in California from 1999 to 2005. They also determined whether AC ownership and usage, assessed at the zip-code level, mitigated this association. Because of the unique spatial pattern of income and climate in California, confounding of AC effects by other local factors is less likely. The authors included only persons who had a temperature monitor within 25 km of their residential zip code. Using a time-stratified case-crossover approach, the authors observed a significantly increased risk of hospitalization for multiple diseases, including cardiovascular disease, ischemic heart disease, ischemic stroke, respiratory disease, pneumonia, dehydration, heat stroke, diabetes, and acute renal failure, with a 10 degrees F increase in same-day apparent temperature. They also found that ownership and usage of ACs significantly reduced the effects of temperature on these health outcomes, after controlling for potential confounding by family income and other socioeconomic factors. These results demonstrate important effects of temperature on public health and the potential for mitigation.