Surveying communities’ lived experiences with extreme heat in the City of Alexandria
Written by Dr. MB (Marybeth) Mitcham
If you are 18 or older and live in the City of Alexandria, please consider taking the survey linked at the bottom of the page.
Summer is quickly approaching, and with it, increasingly so, comes episodes of extreme heat defined as consecutive days with unusually hot temperatures. It is now widely accepted that episodes of extreme heat are increasing in duration, intensity, and frequency, affecting communities across the globe. However, the effects of that heat are disproportionately distributed, negatively impacting some people more than others.
Current research suggests that many humans can adapt to extreme heat and avoid its potential adverse health outcomes - such as heat exhaustion, heat cramp, dehydration, and heatstroke, as well as the exacerbation of existing conditions like diabetes, or respiratory, cardiovascular, and cerebrovascular diseases, all of which can be ultimately fatal. However, the capacity for adaptation is directly affected by certain factors that place some community members at increased risk for exhibiting more acute responses to extreme heat episodes. Some of these factors are biological, as the bodies of children, older adults, and pregnant women are not as efficiently capable of temperature regulation. Other factors correlate with location as minimal green spaces, elevated levels of fossil fuel emissions, and dense surface coverings result in urban regions experiencing higher temperatures than surrounding rural and fringe communities.
Map of heat-related emergency medical services (EMS) activations by county in Virginia. Dark brown colors represent higher than average EMS activations for heat-related medical emergencies. Source: NEMSIS
However, there are additional factors that place an inordinate burden on some community members, causing them to experience more frequent and severe adverse health outcomes from extreme heat. These factors are tied to social, economic, and environmental justice issues, as communities of color, immigrant populations, people with lower incomes, and outdoor workers bear the brunt of negative impacts. For some members of vulnerable populations, cooling practices such as the use of air conditioners may not be feasible due to the financial cost of installation and electricity. Additionally, many of these community members have jobs that require them to work outdoors, regardless of the weather conditions. Others may reside in apartments that house multiple generations, making it more challenging to cool down indoors. Although discriminatory practices like redlining are no longer legal, they continue to have a long-lasting harmful effect, with studies correlating the relationship between redlined communities and regions of modern urban heat islands. In many of these communities, residents have expressed concerns of inaccessibility to potable water that exacerbates the negative effects of overheating, thus placing an additional burden on the population.
To address the problem of the adverse health effects disproportionately experienced by at-risk community members, several municipalities are proposing strategies to simultaneously reduce the urban heat island effect through policy while also working to combat the social justice factors contributing to this problem. However, to better understand the needs of community members, research into their lived experiences is necessary. This research – attempting to gauge what residents understand about the availability of cooling resources, how they are affected by heatwaves, and how they would like their public officials to provide support – will help municipalities and local organizations better prioritize efforts to foster a more equitable response to extreme heat episodes.
To this end, a research team from the Virginia Climate Center and the Department of Global and Community Health at George Mason University are collecting data through a survey, targeting responses from residents of the City of Alexandria, Virginia. The purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of intense heat on susceptible groups and to pinpoint possible approaches for reducing unfavorable health consequences. If you are 18 or older and reside in the City of Alexandria, please consider participating in the survey below.
Extreme Heat Survey in Alexandria:
Help us learn more about community members’ experiences related to extreme heat episodes! Please consider completing this 30-question survey, which will help the Virginia Climate Center at George Mason University learn more about how extreme heat episodes affect residents of Alexandria. This completely anonymous survey is open to any adult 18 or older who lives in Alexandria, and should take around 15 minutes to complete. Your input is greatly appreciated!
Click here to take the survey.
For more information, please contact the faculty PI for this project, Dr. MB Mitcham: mmitcha2@gmu.edu
IRBNet: 2162983-1
Author
Dr. MB (Marybeth) Mitcham
Dr. Mitcham is an Assistant Professor and Director of the online MPH Program in the Department of Global and Community Health at George Mason University
