Heat, mortality, and level of urbanization: Measuring vulnerability across Ohio, USA

Abstract

Few studies have examined heat vulnerability on a sub-metropolitan area level. This paper presents an analysis of heat vulnerability across Ohio (USA) on a county level. Each county is classified as 'urban', 'suburban', or 'rural'. Four different criteria defining what is meteorologically 'oppressive' are evaluated individually. Each of these criteria is associated with an increase in mortality of several percent statewide. Absolute increases in mortality are greatest across urban counties, as expected. When these values are evaluated as a percentage increase in mortality, rural and suburban counties actually show a greater response. The differences among the 3 groups are not statistically significant. This research thus suggests that merely being an urban resident do not make one more vulnerable to heat.