School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia –

Heat Waves and Child Health in a Warming World

Major heat waves have resulted in large, immediate increases in illnesses and deaths.  For example, in Vancouver, a 2009 heat wave led to more than 100 deaths over a period of several days.

Children are particularly vulnerable to heat waves, but few studies have focused specifically on younger populations.

We will:

• Examine the relationship between heat waves and child health in a large number of communities across Canada, and
• Identify what characteristics of children and/or the neighbourhoods they live in make them vulnerable to hot weather

This research is critical as heat waves are expected to become more frequent and intense in the future, as temperatures rise due to climate change.

Professor Weinberger is the recipient of a Banting Research Foundation Discovery Award 2020.