Work

Heat and hospitalization risks among people with disabilities in South Korea

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Heat is known to have harmful impacts on health; however, little is known about its impact on people with disabilities. We evaluate the association between heat and hospitalization through the emergency department among people with and without disabilities. We adopt a case-crossover design using 16 years (2006–2021) of claims data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service Database. A total of 584,743 admissions are recorded among people with disabilities. The heat risk (odds ratio) is 1.10 (95% confidence interval: 1.08–1.13) in people with disabilities. The relative heat risk between people with and without disabilities is 1.33 (95% confidence interval: 1.29–1.37). Within the population with disabilities, individuals with brain lesion disorders, intellectual and mental disabilities, or living in areas with low-middle population density exhibit higher heat risks than the total people with disabilities. Here, we show evidence of different heat risks between people with and without disabilities. This study shows evidence of different heat risks between people with and without disabilities and by type of disability, cause of admissions, demographic characteristics, and residential population density among people with disabilities.

Source: Nature Communications

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-59270-8

Authors: Jinah Park, Ayoung Kim, Ziyad Al-Aly, Kristi L. Ebi, Ho Kim, Whanhee Lee