Poor communities more likely to suffer heat-related illnesses, study finds

When the temperature rises in Southern California we all feel the heat, but how it affects our bodies varies greatly by where we live. But it's not about how close a person lives to the beach, it's about how wealthy your neighborhood is. 

In a recent study, UCLA researchers found that the poorer the community, the more likely its residents will suffer a heat-related illness.

"Because their homes may be less likely to have air conditioning, their streets have less tree canopy so they get hotter," said Dr. David Eisenman, UCLA professor of medicine and public health. "There may be a baseline rate of illnesses that are higher in that community, less health insurance and more outdoor workers in that community." 

The UCLA study analyzed 10 years of data and found that 1,500 more patients, most of whom are from poorer communities, will come to the emergency room with heat-related illnesses. For example, residents in West Adams are 4 times more likely to go to the ER than their neighbors in the much wealthier Rancho Park which is on the other side of the 10 Freeway. 

"Rancho Park saw 0.9 extra ER visits per 10,000 people, so than one per 10,000 people," said Eisenman. "West Adams, right next door in the same weather pattern but with a different income and housing status saw 3.6 visits per 10,000 people." 

West Adams resident Sharon Meir said that in the decade that he's lived in the area, it was not until recently that he could finally afford air conditioning. 

"If you don't have enough money to pay for electricity or to buy A/C, you just don't have the money," he said.  

UCLA's Fielding School of Public Health released an interactive map showing the risk of heat-related illnesses by ZIP code throughout the state. The school hopes that public health officials will focus their efforts on the most affected by the hot weather.

"We see the complete range of heat injuries, from heat edema, nausea and vomiting, you can get heat strike and anything in between," said Dr. John Plosay from Adventist White Memorial Medical Center. "For the people in the community, who often don't have A/C, don't have fans sometimes they come to the ER just to sit in the air conditioning in the lobby because they know its a cool place."

Researchers said that the inequities will only increase with climate change. They called for more cooling centers in areas with the greatest need.