Extreme events of air temperature and their relation with the mortality of elderly people in the city of São Paulo

• Grant number: 18/25462-0
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): May 01, 2019
• Effective date (End): August 31, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Geography
• Principal researcher: Ligia Vizeu Barrozo
• Grantee: Sara Lopes de Moraes
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The growing aging of the population in the world is a major concern of the 21st century, since people over 60 need social and economic planning and measures to ensure adequate attention to the basic needs of life and well-being, especially in megacities that have socioeconomic and environmental disparities. The elderly, because they present social, physiological and often financial limitations, are the most susceptible to urban transformations, especially those related to the urban climate. Changes in temperature and the occurrence of heat and cold waves that become increasingly intense and frequent contribute significantly to the increase in mortality, especially among the elderly living in megacities, as is the case of São Paulo, which presents an increasing number of population aging and great inequalities and social inequities. In this way, the objective of this research project is to verify and understand how extreme temperature events (heat waves and cold waves) are related to the mortality of the elderly population (e 60 years) in São Paulo, through temporal statistical analysis and a space-based approach to identify spatial patterns of mortality risk, taking into account the characteristics of the built environment and socioeconomic indicators. It is hoped, therefore, to find results that represent the relationship between extreme temperature events and mortality that are relevant to the creation and execution of public policies that can reduce the number of avoidable deaths and the vulnerability of the population studied. (AU)