Temperature exposure and health inequality

Abstract

This paper analyzes the relationship among temperature exposure, health inequality, and adaptive behavior in China, a country with diverse climate zones ranging from the cold, arid northwest to the warm, humid south. Utilizing follow-up survey data spanning from 2000 to 2015, this paper constructs a measure of health inequality at the community level. Our findings reveal that extremely cold or hot days increase the health inequality at the community level. Specifically, with each incremental rise in the day’s extreme temperature, the Gini coefficient of community health rises by 0.0032, which constitutes approximately 0.4% of the community average. Furthermore, vulnerable communities, which are characterized by low average income, education levels, per capita electricity consumption, and urbanization, are highly susceptible to the effects of extreme temperatures on health equality. From the perspective of adaptive behavior, residents in high-income communities exhibit elevated electricity consumption and engage in frequent preventive health check-ups during extreme temperature exposure. This phenomenon may exacerbate social polarization because well-resourced individuals and communities are better equipped to withstand the challenges posed by climate change and extreme weather events compared with impoverished ones. Addressing this disparity requires local managers to implement comprehensive policies and interventions that can enhance the adaptability of low-income communities, improve public health facilities, and promote social equity.