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Linking Precipitation-Driven Flooding Events to Acute Respiratory Illness in New York City
21 Pages Posted: 22 May 2024
More...Abstract
Objective: To investigate the association between precipitation-driven flooding events and emergency department visits for acute respiratory illnesses across New York City communities while accounting for potential confounding factors.
Methods: This was a retrospective ecological study from October 2020 to November 2022 integrating hyper-local meteorological data on precipitation events from the New York City Micronet sensor network, along with health records of emergency department (ED) visits for influenza-like illness and/or pneumonia aggregated by patient ZIP code of residence (n=53,534 visits) across 14 ZIP codes in New York City. The main outcomes were daily counts of ED visits for respiratory illness occurring 6 days after a flooding event in each ZIP code area. Associations between flooding exposure levels and lagged respiratory ED visit counts were quantified using Poisson mixed effects regression models.
Results: Across the 14 ZIP codes, precipitation-driven flooding was associated with an average 2.8% decrease in respiratory emergency department visits after the 6-day lag compared to non-flood periods (IRR 0.972, 95% CI 0.955-0.989). Minor, moderate, and major flooding levels were linked to 2.4%, 17.9%, and 12.9% reductions in visits, respectively. Associations persisted after controlling for confounders like socioeconomic status and COVID-19 rates.
Conclusions and Relevance: In this New York City-based analysis, acute flooding incidents were associated with decreased respiratory emergency department visits, suggesting disruptions to healthcare access or deferred care. The complex pathways underlying respiratory health impacts from urban flooding require further research to inform climate change adaptation and infrastructure planning.
Funding: This research is made possible by the New York State Mesonet. The Federal Emergency Management Agency provided the original funding for the New York State Mesonet buildup grant FEMA-4085-DR-NY. The National Mesonet Program, the University at Albany, Federal and private grants, and others support the continued operation and maintenance of the New York State Mesonet. Additionally, this study was funded by Grant # ES023515 (P30), the Short-term Training Program for Minority Students (5 R25 HL108857), and the City University of New York Pilot Award.
Declaration of Interest: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Ethical Approval: Icahn School of Medicine Institutional Review Board deemed this work not human subject research.
Keywords: Climate Change, Precipitation, Emergency Room Visits, Acute Respiratory Illness
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation