Confronting the health risks of climate change: integrating science and public he

该项目的总体目标是评估太平洋西北地区气候变化对人类健康的影响，并协助当地社区努力减轻健康风险。该项目的设计基于从研究到实践的模式。我们的气候与健康科学团队的研究将涉及分析气候变化的两个关键环境健康后果的死亡率和发病率风险：极端高温事件的增加和空气污染的恶化。之所以选择这些环境健康危害，是因为它们可以进行定量风险分析，并且通过我们之前的研究表明，它们会对太平洋西北地区的健康产生重大影响。我们的工作假设是，当前和未来与气候相关的健康影响的定量证据将提高公共卫生信息的可信度，从而支持地方卫生部门传达风险的努力，并为他们提供可用于确定应对气候变化的新资源的信息。我们将利用这些科学分析来生产转化科学产品，将具体到当地社区（即，邮政编码级别、县级）。我们的健康风险预测的具体性应足以使当地公共卫生官员能够确定和解决其社区弱势群体的需求。我们的公共卫生实践团队将同时为气候变化的这些健康相关方面制定沟通策略，与公共卫生官员合作，参与和支持这些社区的决策者，医疗保健提供者，部落委员会和公众，因为他们制定新的计划和政策，预防或减轻气候变化的健康风险。将使用一个形成性研究模型，以生成关于利害关系方目前在气候变化方面的做法的信息。我们还将利用现有的应急准备和应对计划来应对与气候有关的健康风险。这些努力的目标是激励这些社区的方案启动和政策改变。我们的科学和实践团队在三年项目期间的合作将产生协同效应，我们相信这将1）对这些社区有实质性的好处，因为他们面对气候变化的挑战并采取具体措施来解决其后果，2）作为一个模型，可以推广到广泛的社区和气候相关的健康风险。 公共卫生相关性：该项目的总体目标是评估气候变化对太平洋西北地区人类健康的影响，并协助当地社区努力减轻健康风险。我们的科学和实践团队在三年项目期间的合作将产生协同效应，我们相信这将1）对这些社区有实质性的好处，因为他们面对气候变化的挑战并采取具体措施来解决其后果，2）作为一个模型，可以推广到广泛的社区和气候相关的健康风险。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overall objective of this project is to evaluate the impact of climate change on human health in the Pacific Northwest region and to assist local communities in their efforts to mitigate health risks. The project design is based on a research-to-practice model. The research of our Climate and Health Science Team will involve analysis of mortality and morbidity risks for two key environmental health consequences of climate change: increases in extreme heat events and worsening air pollution. These environmental health hazards have been selected because they are amenable to quantitative risk analysis and have been shown, through our previous research, to produce significant health impacts in the Pacific Northwest. It is our working hypothesis that quantitative evidence of current and future climate-related health impacts will improve the credibility of public health messages, thereby supporting local health departments in their efforts to communicate risk, and providing them with information that can be used to identify new resources for addressing climate change. We will use these scientific analyses to produce translational science products that will be specific to local communities (i.e., zip code level, county level). The specificity of our health risk predictions should be sufficient to allow local public health officials to identify and address the needs of vulnerable populations in their communities. Our Public Health Practice Team will concurrently develop communications strategies for these health-related aspects of climate change, working with public health officials to engage and support decision makers, health care providers, tribal councils, and the public in these communities as they develop new programs and policies that prevent or mitigate the health risks of climate change. A formative research model will be used to generate information on current practices of stakeholders in regard to climate change. We will also take advantage of existing emergency preparedness and response plans to address climate-related health risks. The goal of these efforts is to motivate program initiation and policy change in these communities. The collaboration of our science and practice teams over the three-year project period will produce a synergism that we believe will 1) be of substantial benefit to these communities as they confront the challenges of climate change and take concrete steps to address its consequences, and 2) serve as a model that can be generalized to a wide range of communities and climate-related health risks. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The overall objective of this project is to evaluate the impact of climate change on human health in the Pacific Northwest region and to assist local communities in their efforts to mitigate health risks. The collaboration of our science and practice teams over the three-year project period will produce a synergism that we believe will 1) be of substantial benefit to these communities as they confront the challenges of climate change and take concrete steps to address its consequences, and 2) serve as a model that can be generalized to a wide range of communities and climate-related health risks.