An Overlooked Crisis: Temperature-Related Mortality Among Incarcerated Populations in the United States

Skarha, Julianne

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Year:: 2022
Contributor:: Skarha, Julianne (creator); Savitz, David (Advisor); Rich, Josiah (Reader); Dosa, David (Reader); Zanobetti, Antonella (Reader); Brown University. Department of Epidemiology (sponsor)
Genre:: theses
Subject:: Epidemiology; environment; Incarcerated Health
Extent:: 8, 55 p.

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Description

Abstract:: Many of the subpopulations most vulnerable to temperature-related mortality are in prisons, facilities that may exacerbate temperature exposures. Yet, there is scare literature on temperature-related mortality among incarcerated populations. I analyzed data on mortality in U.S. state and private prisons from 2001 - 2019 linked to daily temperature data. Using a case-crossover approach with distributed non-linear lag model, I estimated the association of temperatures with total and cause-specific mortality. Both continuous and extreme temperature (hot and cold) were associated with increased total and cause-specific mortality. Characteristics like age at death, length of time incarcerated, prison facility region, and year prison built significantly modified the association between temperature exposure and mortality. Finally, I found air conditioning to have a protective effect among prisons in Texas. Compared to other studies across the United States on temperatures associated with increased mortality, we generally found higher effect estimates among this incarcerated population. These findings suggest that this vulnerable population’s risk has largely been overlooked.
Notes:: Thesis (Ph. D.)--Brown University, 2022

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Citation

Skarha, Julianne, "An Overlooked Crisis: Temperature-Related Mortality Among Incarcerated Populations in the United States" (2022). Epidemiology Theses and Dissertations. Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library. https://repository.library.brown.edu/studio/item/bdr:tjqk52me/

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Epidemiology Theses and Dissertations

Theses and Dissertations for the Epidemiology department.
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