Reducing the health risks of severe winter weather among older people in the United Kingdom: an evidence-based intervention
- 22 October 2009
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Cambridge University Press (CUP) in Ageing and Society
- Vol. 30 (2), 275-297
- https://doi.org/10.1017/s0144686x09990298
Abstract
Excess winter morbidity and mortality among older people remain significant public health issues in those European countries which experience relatively mild winter temperatures, particularly the United Kingdom (UK), Ireland, Portugal and Spain. In the UK, episodes of severe winter weather, when ambient temperatures fall below 5° C, are associated with peaks in general practitioner consultations, hospital admissions, and cardiovascular deaths among those aged over 65. While research indicates that such health risks could be substantially reduced by the adoption of appropriate behavioural strategies, accessible and credible advice on how older people can reduce risk during ‘cold snaps’ is lacking. This paper describes a programme of research that aimed: (a) to translate the relevant scientific literature into practical advice for older people in order to reduce health risk during episodes of severe winter weather; and (b) to integrate this advice with a severe winter weather ‘Early Warning System’ developed by the UK Met Office. An advice booklet was generated through a sequential process of systematic review, consensus development, and focus group discussions with older people. In a subsequent field trial, a combination of the Met Office ‘Early Warning System’ and the advice booklet produced behavioural change among older people consistent with risk reduction. The results also show that long-held convictions about ‘healthy environments’ and anxieties about fuel costs are barriers to risk reduction.Keywords
This publication has 16 references indexed in Scilit:
- Acute respiratory infections and winter pressures on hospital admissions in England and Wales 1990-2005Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) ,2008
- Towards an Early Warning System for Heat EventsJournal of Risk Research, 2007
- Heat-related and cold-related deaths in England and Wales: who is at risk?Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2006
- Declining Vulnerability to Temperature-related Mortality in London over the 20th CenturyAmerican Journal of Epidemiology, 2006
- Using thematic analysis in psychologyQualitative Research in Psychology, 2006
- Older people's views of advice about falls prevention: a qualitative studyHealth Education Research, 2005
- Vulnerability to winter mortality in elderly people in Britain: population based studyBMJ, 2004
- Excess winter mortality in Europe: a cross country analysis identifying key risk factorsJournal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 2003
- Qualitative Data AnalysisPublished by Taylor & Francis Ltd ,2003
- Perceptions and consequences of ageism: views of older peopleAgeing and Society, 2000