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Volume 20
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Article

Developing a Healthy Environment Assessment Tool (HEAT) to Address Heat-Health Vulnerability in South African Towns in a Warming World

by
Caradee Y. Wright
1,2,*,
Angela Mathee
3,4,5,
Cheryl Goldstone
6,
Natasha Naidoo
1,
Thandi Kapwata
3,4,5,
Bianca Wernecke
3,4,
Zamantimande Kunene
3 and
Danielle A. Millar
2
1
Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
2
Department of Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
3
Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2090, South Africa
4
Department of Environmental Health, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa
5
School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa
6
The Public Health Agency, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 2852; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20042852
Submission received: 8 December 2022 / Revised: 28 January 2023 / Accepted: 2 February 2023 / Published: 6 February 2023
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Abstract

Prolonged exposure to high temperatures can cause heat-related illnesses and accelerate death, especially in the elderly. We developed a locally-appropriate Healthy Environment Assessment Tool, or ‘HEAT’ tool, to assess heat-health risks among communities. HEAT was co-developed with stakeholders and practitioners/professionals from the Rustenburg Local Municipality (RLM), a setting in which heat was identified as a risk in an earlier study. Feedback was used to identify vulnerable groups and settings in RLM, consider opportunities and barriers for interventions, and conceptualize a heat-health vulnerability assessment tool for a heat-resilient town. Using information provided by the RLM Integrated Development Plan, the HEAT tool was applied in the form of eight indicators relating to heat-health vulnerability and resilience and areas were evaluated at the ward level. Indicators included population, poverty, education, access to medical facilities, sanitation and basic services, public transport, recreation/community centres, and green spaces. Out of 45 wards situated in the municipality, three were identified as critical risk (red), twenty-eight as medium-high risk (yellow), and six as low risk (green) in relation to heat-health vulnerability. Short-term actions to improve heat health resilience in the community were proposed and partnerships between local government and the community to build heat health resilience were identified.
Keywords: adaptation; climate change; environmental health; environmental indicators; global heating; heatwaves adaptation; climate change; environmental health; environmental indicators; global heating; heatwaves

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MDPI and ACS Style

Wright, C.Y.; Mathee, A.; Goldstone, C.; Naidoo, N.; Kapwata, T.; Wernecke, B.; Kunene, Z.; Millar, D.A. Developing a Healthy Environment Assessment Tool (HEAT) to Address Heat-Health Vulnerability in South African Towns in a Warming World. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20, 2852. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20042852

AMA Style

Wright CY, Mathee A, Goldstone C, Naidoo N, Kapwata T, Wernecke B, Kunene Z, Millar DA. Developing a Healthy Environment Assessment Tool (HEAT) to Address Heat-Health Vulnerability in South African Towns in a Warming World. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2023; 20(4):2852. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20042852

Chicago/Turabian Style

Wright, Caradee Y., Angela Mathee, Cheryl Goldstone, Natasha Naidoo, Thandi Kapwata, Bianca Wernecke, Zamantimande Kunene, and Danielle A. Millar. 2023. "Developing a Healthy Environment Assessment Tool (HEAT) to Address Heat-Health Vulnerability in South African Towns in a Warming World" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 20, no. 4: 2852. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20042852

APA Style

Wright, C. Y., Mathee, A., Goldstone, C., Naidoo, N., Kapwata, T., Wernecke, B., Kunene, Z., & Millar, D. A. (2023). Developing a Healthy Environment Assessment Tool (HEAT) to Address Heat-Health Vulnerability in South African Towns in a Warming World. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(4), 2852. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20042852

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