Speaker
Description
This study investigates how age and educational attainment influence temperature-related mortality among the elderly across Belgian provinces, addressing a critical gap in understanding climate-related health inequalities. While climate change poses a major global health threat, evidence on socioeconomic and demographic disparities in temperature-mortality associations remains limited. Educational attainment shapes vulnerability through multiple pathways: enhanced cognitive skills improve risk assessment and adaptation, and higher socioeconomic status enables protective investments. Prior research suggests that lower-educated populations may face greater risks, though findings vary across contexts.
Using Belgian mortality data from 2000–2019 and a two-stage meta-regression framework, we examined temperature-mortality relationships across two separate analyses focusing on individuals aged 65+ across all 11 provinces. The first analysis stratified populations by age groups, while the second distinguished between low, secondary, and superior education levels as a proxy for socioeconomic status.
Results revealed strong age gradients, with adults aged 85+ experiencing substantially higher temperature-related mortality than younger elderly groups. The education analysis showed that lower-educated populations faced elevated risks, though effect sizes varied across provinces. Cold-related mortality predominated across all demographic and socioeconomic groups. Consistent regional differences emerged across both analyses, suggesting persistent geographic vulnerabilities independent of age or socioeconomic composition.
We are currently continuing this research to obtain more granular district-level results, which will allow us to identify specific meta-predictors—including demographic, socioeconomic, and environmental factors—that lead to higher relative risks of temperature-related mortality at the local level.
| If your abstract is not accepted for an oral presentation, would you be interested in presenting it as a poster instead? | Yes |
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| If accepted by the Scientific Board, I agree to have my presentation/poster and abstract published on the Belgian Climate Centre websites and social media. | Yes |
