Date of Award

5-1-2022

Language

English

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

College/School/Department

Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Program

Epidemiology

Content Description

1 online resource (vi, 37 pages) : illustrations

Dissertation/Thesis Chair

Tabassum Insaf

Committee Members

Temilayo Adeyeye, Sanghamitra Savadatti

Keywords

Cold-Related Illness, Heat-Related Illness, Mental and Behavioral Disorder Hospitalizations, Mental Health, Mentally ill, Psychiatric hospital care, Climatic extremes, Weather

Subject Categories

Epidemiology | Psychiatric and Mental Health

Abstract

Background: In New York State (NYS), extreme heat events in the warm months (May – September) are expected to increase over the next 60 years. Additionally, NYS experiences extremely low temperatures in the colder months (October – April). Extreme temperature events are linked to increased emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and mortality for individuals with mental and behavioral disorders. This research aims to characterize individual and regional risk factors for mental and behavioral disorder hospitalizations with concurrent temperature-related illness in NYS. Methods: Using data from the NYS Statewide and Planning Research and Cooperative System between 2005 – 2019, multivariate log binomial regression models were used to estimate risk ratios (RR) of risk factors for hospitalization with a diagnosis of mental or behavioral disorders and concurrent cold-related illness or heat-related illness. Results: Dementia (RR 1.65; 95% CI:1.49, 1.83) and schizophrenia (RR 1.38; 95% CI:1.19, 1.60) were associated with an increased risk for heat-related illness among hospitalizations for mental and behavioral disorders; while alcohol dependence (RR 2.10; 95% CI:1.99, 2.22), dementia (RR 1.52; 95% CI:1.44, 1.60), schizophrenia (RR 1.41; 95% CI:1.31, 1.52), and non-dependent drug/alcohol use (RR 1.20; 95% CI:1.15, 1.26) were associated with an increased risk of cold-related illness among hospitalizations for mental and behavioral disorders. Risk factors for hospitalizations for mental and behavioral disorders and concurrent heat-related illness include increasing age, male gender, non-Hispanic black race, and medium hospital size. Risk factors for hospitalizations for mental and behavioral disorders and concurrent cold-related illness include increasing age, male gender, non-Hispanic black race, being on Medicare, Medicaid, or uninsured status, the presence of respiratory disease, and rural hospital location. Conclusion: These results agree with prior risk factor findings for mental and behavioral disorder hospitalizations with a concurrent heat-related illness. This research adds to the literature by identifying dementia, schizophrenia, substance related addictive disorders including alcohol dependence and non-dependent substance use, increasing age, male gender, non-Hispanic black and other race, Medicare coverage, Medicaid coverage, uninsured status, respiratory disease, and rural location as risk factors for mental and behavioral disorder hospitalizations with a concurrent cold-related illness.

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