On the association between weather variability and total and cause-specific mortality before and during industrialization in Sweden
(2016) In Demographic Research 35. p.991-1010- Abstract
- BACKGROUND While there is ample evidence for health risks associated with heat and other extreme weather events today, little is known about the impact of weather patterns on population health in preindustrial societies.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the impact of weather patterns on population health in Sweden before and during industrialization.
METHODS
We obtained records of monthly mortality and of monthly mean temperatures and precipitation for Skellefteå parish, northern Sweden, for the period 1800–1950. The associations between monthly total mortality, as well as monthly mortality due to infectious and cardiovascular diseases, and monthly mean temperature and cumulative precipitation were modelled using a time series... (More) - BACKGROUND While there is ample evidence for health risks associated with heat and other extreme weather events today, little is known about the impact of weather patterns on population health in preindustrial societies.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the impact of weather patterns on population health in Sweden before and during industrialization.
METHODS
We obtained records of monthly mortality and of monthly mean temperatures and precipitation for Skellefteå parish, northern Sweden, for the period 1800–1950. The associations between monthly total mortality, as well as monthly mortality due to infectious and cardiovascular diseases, and monthly mean temperature and cumulative precipitation were modelled using a time series approach for three separate periods, 1800−1859, 1860–1909, and 1910–1950.
RESULTS We found higher temperatures and higher amounts of precipitation to be associated with lower mortality both in the medium term (same month and two-months lag) and in the long run (lag of six months up to a year). Similar patterns were found for mortality due to infectious and cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, the effect of temperature and precipitation decreased over time.
CONCLUSIONS
Higher temperature and precipitation amounts were associated with reduced death counts with a lag of up to 12 months. The decreased effect over time may be due to improvements in nutritional status, decreased infant deaths, and other changes in society that occurred in the course of the demographic and epidemiological transition.
CONTRIBUTION
The study contributes to a better understanding of the complex relationship between weather and mortality and, in particular, historical weather-related mortality. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/5d6a2811-41ce-40db-bce1-1f37f5fa81a3
- author
- Oudin Åström, Daniel LU ; Edvinsson, Sören ; Hondula, David ; Rocklöv, Joacim and Schumann, Barbara
- organization
- publishing date
- 2016-10-05
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Demographic Research
- volume
- 35
- article number
- 33
- pages
- 991 - 1010
- publisher
- Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85006957200
- ISSN
- 1435-9871
- DOI
- 10.4054/DemRes.2016.35.33
- language
- Swedish
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 5d6a2811-41ce-40db-bce1-1f37f5fa81a3
- date added to LUP
- 2016-12-05 09:18:49
- date last changed
- 2022-04-01 04:34:33
@article{5d6a2811-41ce-40db-bce1-1f37f5fa81a3,
abstract = {{BACKGROUND While there is ample evidence for health risks associated with heat and other extreme weather events today, little is known about the impact of weather patterns on population health in preindustrial societies.<br/>OBJECTIVE<br/>To investigate the impact of weather patterns on population health in Sweden before and during industrialization.<br/>METHODS<br/>We obtained records of monthly mortality and of monthly mean temperatures and precipitation for Skellefteå parish, northern Sweden, for the period 1800–1950. The associations between monthly total mortality, as well as monthly mortality due to infectious and cardiovascular diseases, and monthly mean temperature and cumulative precipitation were modelled using a time series approach for three separate periods, 1800−1859, 1860–1909, and 1910–1950.<br/>RESULTS We found higher temperatures and higher amounts of precipitation to be associated with lower mortality both in the medium term (same month and two-months lag) and in the long run (lag of six months up to a year). Similar patterns were found for mortality due to infectious and cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, the effect of temperature and precipitation decreased over time.<br/>CONCLUSIONS<br/>Higher temperature and precipitation amounts were associated with reduced death counts with a lag of up to 12 months. The decreased effect over time may be due to improvements in nutritional status, decreased infant deaths, and other changes in society that occurred in the course of the demographic and epidemiological transition.<br/>CONTRIBUTION<br/>The study contributes to a better understanding of the complex relationship between weather and mortality and, in particular, historical weather-related mortality.}},
author = {{Oudin Åström, Daniel and Edvinsson, Sören and Hondula, David and Rocklöv, Joacim and Schumann, Barbara}},
issn = {{1435-9871}},
language = {{swe}},
month = {{10}},
pages = {{991--1010}},
publisher = {{Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research}},
series = {{Demographic Research}},
title = {{On the association between weather variability and total and cause-specific mortality before and during industrialization in Sweden}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.4054/DemRes.2016.35.33}},
doi = {{10.4054/DemRes.2016.35.33}},
volume = {{35}},
year = {{2016}},
}