Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health

Climate Change: Original Article

Association Between Air Conditioning Use and Self-reported Symptoms During the 2018 Heat Wave in Korea: Yong-Han Lee, Sanghyuk Bae, Seung-sik Hwang, Jong-Hun Kim, Kyoung-Nam Kim, Youn-Hee Lim, Miji Kim, Sohwa Jung, Ho-Jang Kwon; J Prev Med Public Health. 2020;53(1):15-25. Published online November 26, 2019; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3961/jpmph.19.171

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Objectives
The purpose of this study was to investigate the health effects of air conditioning use during the 2018 heat wave in Korea, included the highest temperature ever recorded in the nation.
Methods
The participants in this study were 1000 adults aged 19 years and older recruited from across Korea. The participants were asked about their experience of symptoms of various diseases, disruptions of their daily lives, and use of air conditioning during the heat wave. The associations between air conditioning use during the heat wave and health outcomes were analyzed using the chi-square test and multiple logistic regression models.
Results
Among participants who lacked air conditioning in the main space where they spent time outside the home, 33.9%, 8.1%, 43.5%, and 19.4% experienced symptoms of heat-related, cardiovascular, nervous system diseases, and air-conditioningitis, respectively. In comparison, participants who did have air conditioning outside the home experienced the same symptoms at proportions of 21.0%, 1.9%, 26.8%, and 34.2%, respectively (p=0.027, 0.007, 0.007, and 0.023, respectively). Among participants who had no air conditioner at home, 10.0% were absent from school or work due to the heat wave. In contrast, among participants who had an air conditioner at home, only 3.7% were absent as a result of the heat wave (p=0.007).
Conclusions
When air conditioning was not used at home or in the main space where participants spent time outside the home during the 2018 heat wave, adverse health effects were more prevalent, but the risk of air-conditioningitis was reduced.

Summary

Korean summary
본 연구는 한국 기상관측사상 가장 더웠던 2018년 한국의 폭염 기간 동안, 에어컨 사용이 건강에 미치는 영향에 대해 조사하였다. 가정 외 주 생활공간에 에어컨이 가동되지 않거나 가정에 에어컨이 없으면 폭염 기간 동안의 건강 및 일상생활에 좋지 않은 영향을 줄 수 있으나, 냉방병 위험은 낮아질 수 있다.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Integration and Optimal Control of MicroCSP with Building HVAC Systems: Review and Future Directions
Mohamed Toub, Chethan R. Reddy, Rush D. Robinett, Mahdi Shahbakhti
Energies.2021; 14(3): 730. CrossRef
Climate Change and Health: More Research Is Still Needed
Ho-Jang Kwon
Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health.2020; 53(1): 1. CrossRef

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