Work

A case-crossover analysis to quantify the impact of wildfire smoke on hospital respiratory admissions in the Rogue Valley, Oregon

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Background: With the increasing prevalence of wildfire smoke in the Pacific Northwest, it is important to quantify health impacts to plan for adequate health services. The Rogue Valley region has historically faced some of the greatest wildfire threats in the state. Health impacts from smoke have been estimated in several recent studies that include Oregon's Rogue Valley, but the results between studies are conflicting. Objective: The objective is to critically examine impacts of wildfire smoke on health in the Rogue Valley area and translate the results to support hospital staffing decisions. Study design: The study adopts a case-crossover approach. Methods: Apply a conditional Poisson regression to analyze time stratified counts while controlling for mean temperature. Results: , hospitals could expect an additional four patients. Conclusions: There are small but significant health impacts in the Rogue Valley. These impacts are smaller than some statewide estimates. We need further research to understand these differences.

Source: Public Health in Practice

DOI: 10.1016/j.puhip.2024.100540

Authors: A Lee Mitchell, Kyle Chapman, Kerry Farris, Pooya Naderi, Ashley Hansen

Institution: Oregon Institute of Technology

Language: English

Topic: Air Quality and Health Impacts

Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,700