Heat stress and outdoor activities in open spaces of public housing estates in Hong Kong: A perspective of the elderly community

Abstract

Open spaces in Hong Kong are in short supply and they are often underused due to the adverse climate, especially in hot and humid summer. This is a missed opportunity that can be otherwise realized to promote health and social interactions for local communities. The high density urban environment makes the condition worse by raising the urban heat island effect and leaving planners with fewer mitigation options. This study aims to test the hypotheses that an unfavourable thermal environment disrupts the use of outdoor open spaces; if yes, whether such disruptions differ by age groups. On-site measurement and computer simulations were conducted in three open spaces in public housing estates in Ngau Tau Kok, Hong Kong. Thermal conditions were assessed using the Universal Thermal Climate Index. Occupant activities were recorded, together with a questionnaire survey. Results showed that an open space purposefully designed for breeze and shading was 2.0°C cooler in Universal Thermal Climate Index compared with the other two. It attracted more optional/social activities, higher frequency of visits, and longer duration of stay. The elderly activities were more susceptible to disruptions from heat stress compared with younger groups. Elderly activities largely diminish when ambient thermal environment exceed 39°C in Universal Thermal Climate Index. Findings have implications to design and retrofitting of open spaces in order to maximize their use.

The Association of Meteorological Factors with Cognitive Function in Older Adults

“…Older adults are less adaptable to climate change [38]. One possible explanation is that with adult aging, the regulatory capacity of older adults, such as cardiovascular function, gradually decreases, so the older adults are more vulnerable to the interference of heat stress [26,39]. Heat stress increases neuronal requirements for cognitive tasks in older adults [40,41] and disrupts brain functional connectivity [42,43].…”

“…Third, the statistical approach used in previous studies (i.e., traditional regression model, which ignores the nesting of data, greatly reducing the practical significance of the research results) was not particularly suited to accurately estimate the associations between meteorological factors (i.e., a macro level factor) and cognitive functions (a micro level factor), while accounting for individual factors. It has been pointed out in the literature that meteorological factors, such as temperature and humidity, have different effects on demographic factors (e.g., gender and age) [25][26][27]. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the interaction between meteorological factors and individual factors.…”

The effect of thermal environment on stress and thermal comfort of college students under acute stress

“…16,17 According to the adaptability theory, psychological adaptation to the environment can change the comfort in the current environment. 18,19 When people are under stress, the brain initiates a stress response, followed by a series of chemical reactions, including the release of hormones with a variety of biochemical and physiological effects, which trigger increases in blood pressure, heart rate, respiration and body metabolic rate, and affect people's feeling and satisfaction with the environment. 20,21 Methods of measuring stress include questionnaires, biomarkers from saliva or blood and measurements of physiological signals.…”

Public Rental Housing and Obesogenic Behaviors among Adults in Hong Kong: Mediator Role of Food and Physical Activity Environment

“…PRH is not for sale and provides a safety net for low-income families with the eligibility criteria of income and assets. Some studies explored associations between residential environment and health among Hong Kong’s PRH residents [ 15 , 16 ]. However, whether there were disparities in the residential environment and health behaviors among PRH and non-PRH residence remains unknown in Hong Kong, as Hong Kong has a different PRH governance from Western cites or other Asian areas such as Singapore.…”