The intensity of the urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon in Taipei and New Taipei City is statistically significant when considering the suicide rate among older residents, the results of a recent study showed.
The study, published in this month’s issue of the Taiwan Journal of Public Health, found that for every 1°C increase in the UHI, the suicide rate among older residents rose by 5.49 percent.
The study investigated the correlation between the urban heat island — a metropolitan area that is substantially warmer than surrounding rural areas due to human activity — and the suicide mortality rate among people aged 65 and older in Taipei and New Taipei City from 2000 to 2008, using geographic information and statistical analysis.
The survey was conducted by researchers from National Chiayi University, National Yang-Ming University, National Cheng Kung University, the National Health Research Institutes and Academia Sinica, Taiwan’s top research institution.
Researchers used data collected by weather stations and a Kriging interpolation method to estimate the intensity of the UHI effect in each region, according to an abstract of the study.
They then examined the spatial and temporal trends in the UHI effect and suicides among older residents, and assessed the spatial cluster effect of suicides among older residents.
Finally, they assessed the link between the UHI and suicides among older residents, after adjusting for confounders such as air temperature and precipitation, as well as income tax, education level, marital status and gender ratio.
Wu Chih-da (吳治達), one of the coauthors of the study and an assistant professor at National Chiayi University’s Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, said that temperatures have been an important factor in the suicides.
The increase in temperature caused by the UHI effect in Taiwan can be serious, as the nation is densely populated and its population and industries are concentrated in cities, where crowded concrete structures make it hard for heat to dissipate, Wu said.
Citing statistics, he said that people aged 65 and older have a much higher suicide mortality rate than other age groups.
Between 2000 and 2008, 1,785 people aged 65 and older committed suicide in Taipei and New Taipei City, Wu said.
He said Taiwan’s metropolitan areas are in need of more green spaces and parks, which could help reduce the intensity of the UHI effect.
Liu Mu-en (劉慕恩), a physician at Taipei Veterans General Hospital’s Psychiatry Department, said studies have shown that residents’ moods can be affected by the weather and that people become more irritable during hot weather.
He advised older people to stay in air-conditioned rooms or visit malls or other public places with air-conditioning when temperatures become too hot.
The Taiwan Journal of Public Health is published every two months by the Taiwan Public Health Association, an academic organization that focuses on the advancement of public health.
OFFLINE: People who do not wish to register can get the money from select ATMs using their bank card, ID number and National Health Insurance card number Online registration for NT$6,000 (US$196.32) cash payments drawn from last year’s tax surplus is to open today for eligible people whose national ID or permanent residency number ends in either a zero or a one, the Ministry of Finance said on Monday. Officials from the ministry revealed which days Taiwanese and eligible foreigners would be able to register for the cash payments at a joint news conference with the Ministry of Digital Affairs. Online registration is to open tomorrow for those whose number ends in a two or three; on Friday for those that end in a four or five: on Saturday
Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) officials are investigating why a Starlux Airlines flight to Penang, Malaysia, returned to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport nearly two hours after takeoff yesterday morning. The airline said in a statement that Flight JX721 to Penang took off from Taoyuan airport at 9:20am. “After the dashboard showed a signal of an abnormality in the hydraulic system, the captain followed standard operating procedures and returned the flight to Taoyuan airport for safety precautions,” the airline said, adding that the flight landed safely at the airport at 11:04am. The airline arranged for the passengers to have lunch after the flight landed and
TECH PROGRAM: A US official said that an important part of the delegation’s trip would be to meet with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co executives The US is to send officials in charge of chip development to Taiwan, Japan and South Korea to promote cooperation in the global semiconductor supply chain, the US Department of Commerce said on Tuesday. Chips Program Office Director Michael Schmidt announced the visit, which marks the first time officials from the office are to visit the three nations since it was set up in September last year. “As semiconductors and technologies continue to evolve, the United States will keep working with allies and partners to develop coordinated strategies to ensure that malign actors cannot use the latest technologies to undermine our collective
WORKING UP AN APPETITE: Sales at the Rueifong Night Market surged 20 to 30 percent, while seats at Liouhe Night Market were packed until 1am, market officials said South Korean pop band Blackpink’s concerts over the weekend in Kaohsiung helped draw large crowds to local night markets, the Kaohsiung City Government said yesterday. The two concerts on Saturday and Sunday at Kaohsiung National Stadium drew more than 90,000 people. The city government offered NT$50 vouchers to spend locally to concertgoers who showed their ticket stubs. Liouhe Night Market (六合夜市) management committee head Chuang Chi-chang (莊其章) said that crowds over the weekend surged at about 10pm and the market remained packed until 1:30am. “Almost all the seats were filled,” Chuang said. Night market stall owners had stocked up in expectation of an increased number
RSS