[Community-based prevention of climate-associated health risks]. / Prävention klimabedingter Gesundheitsrisiken in der Kommune.

BACKGROUND: Climate changes and their impact on public health services are presenting officials with new challenges. The Klimzug Nordhessen project provides a framework for the development of suitable adaptation strategies to deal with climate changes. PROJECT: The demographic and climatic circumstances in the region in and surrounding Kassel require a focus on the prevention of heat-caused morbidity and mortality among adults 75 or more years old. The Klimzug Nordhessen project assesses the feasibility of heat monitoring for city and county regions and collects data about the temperature-related comfort of older people. The main focus of the project is the development of prevention strategies for older people who live at home in climatic and demographic high-risk regions. CONCLUSIONS: In the face of inadequate data, the current cooperation between science and practice seems to be an appropriate base for the development of verifiable empirical methods and instruments as well as evidence-based prevention strategies at the communal level.

[Identifying residential areas with heat-related health risks. Sociodemographic and climate data mapping as a planning tool for targeted prevention strategies]. / Wohngebiete mit hitzeabhängigen Gesundheitsrisiken ermitteln. Soziodemografische und klimatische Kartierung als Planungsinstrument gezielter Prävention.

Prognosticated heat waves in the context of climate change require appropriate strategies to prevent harmful health effects in the population. In a model project within the public health department of the Kassel region, elderly living in areas at risk of over-heating will be identified and advised. The localization of high-risk residential areas was part of the planning process. Through mapping of demographic and microclimate data and the characteristics of the material of the residential buildings, high-risk areas that require preventive measures as a top priority were identified. The prevention of heat-related mortality and morbidity by communal health authorities requires close cooperation with other administrative bodies, especially with town planning departments. Mapping demographic and microclimate data and the characteristics of the material of the residential buildings can facilitate the planning of preventive measures.