Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between Urban Heat Island Effects (UHIE) and elderly suicides in metropolitan Taipei from 2000 to 2008 using Geographic Information System (GIS) and statistical analysis. Methods: The UHIE intensity in each township was estimated based on onsite air temperature observations using Kriging interpolation. Spatial/temporal trends in UHIE and elderly suicides were examined, and the spatial clustering effect of elderly suicides was assessed. A Generalized Additive Mixed Model (GAMM) was then utilized to assess the association between UHIE and elderly suicides after adjusting for confounders including air temperature, precipitation, income tax, education level, sex ratio of the elderly population, and marital status. Results: Based on the GAMM analysis, UHIE reached the level of statistical significance (Relative Risk: 1.0549; p < 0.01) while accounting for the effects of the other risk factors in the model. Conclusions: The intensity of UHIE was statistically associated with elderly suicides in Taipei.
Date:
2016-08-01
Relation:
Taiwan Journal of Public Health. 2016 Aug 1;35(4):406-417.
