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Thermal sensation index for elderly people living in Brazil

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Abstract

With the aging of the human body, some physiological changes occur, compromising thermoregulatory mechanisms, negatively influencing the individual’s thermal sensation. Given this fact, the present study aimed to build a predictive model to determine the thermal sensation index for elderly people (TSIEP) in a hot climate region, considering their sensitivity in the perception of climate change in the city of Campina Grande, in the semi-arid region of Paraíba/Brazil. For this purpose, an observational study was carried out from April to December 2016 with elderly people inside their homes. The responses of the sample units (elderly people) to the categories of thermal sensation (hot, comfortable, and cold) were transformed into probit estimates, and, using the multivariate modeling statistical technique (canonical correlation), the TSIEP was determined. Finally, TSIEP showed that the thermal sensation of elderly people residing in Campina Grande tends to be more sensitive to cold and less sensitive to heat.

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Notes

  1. This research is the result of the doctoral thesis developed by Panet (2018) in the postgraduate program in Architecture and Urbanism at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte—UFRN.

  2. As there are no defined seasons in the northeastern region of Brazil, it is adopted as summer, the period without rain, and winter as the rain period. Anyway, in the city of Campina Grande, the quarter with the lowest temperatures (winter) is represented by the months of June, July, and August.

  3. The procedures performed were approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee (REC/UFCG), under project number CAAE 52,584,315.7.0000.5182 and opinion number 1.872.415.

  4. The outliers consisted of data, collected in the field, which presented unusual characteristics. Most of the outliers found consisted of air velocity values, recognized as wind gusts. In some cases the measurements took place on the balconies, more open environments with possible changes in air velocity, out of normal.

  5. The cases eliminated in the exploratory analysis had the following gaps: (a) the participants had had diseases such as: Zika, Chikungunya, or Dengue; (b) some participants did not have their lower limbs or used a wheelchair to get around; (c) the thermal stress meter showed irregularities, having to be replaced by another one in perfect condition. In this case, the previous data has been lost.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Federal University of Campina Grande – UFCG, Architecture and Urbanism Course, CM block. Rua Aprígio Veloso, 882 – Universitário, Campina Grande, PB, 58428-830, Brazil

    Miriam de Farias Panet

  2. Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte – UFRN, Natal, RN, Brazil

    Virgínia Maria Dantas de Araújo & Eduardo Henrique Silveira de Araújo

Authors
  1. Miriam de Farias Panet
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  2. Virgínia Maria Dantas de Araújo
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  3. Eduardo Henrique Silveira de Araújo
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Correspondence to Miriam de Farias Panet.

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de Farias Panet, M., de Araújo, V.M.D. & de Araújo, E.H.S. Thermal sensation index for elderly people living in Brazil. Int J Biometeorol 66, 469–480 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-021-02194-x

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