University of Cincinnati College of Medicine researchers are recruiting older adults to participate in a study tracking their health during periods of extreme summer heat, according to a May 20 announcement.
The World Health Organization has identified extreme heat as a rapidly growing public health threat, with rising temperatures leading to increased heat-related illnesses and deaths. The University of Cincinnati’s Center for Collaboration on Climate & Community for Health (C4H) is working to address these risks through research and outreach.
One current project at the center, titled “Extreme Heat: Linking Physiologic Strain and Biomarkers,” examines how exposure to high temperatures affects older adults. George Leikauf, PhD, co-director of the center and professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine within the Department of Internal Medicine, said, “Seniors are considered especially vulnerable to heat-related illness. Extreme heat is even more dangerous to their health and poses an even greater risk.”
Leikauf’s team is seeking participants who are 50 or older, live in the Cincinnati area, and do not have residential air conditioning. Participants will be followed throughout the summer while researchers track physiological strain and biomarker signals during periods of heat stress. Each participant will receive an Oura Ring valued at about $350 to monitor sleep patterns, activity level, heart rate, step count, and skin temperature. A heat detector will also be installed in each home.
Participants will complete daily health questionnaires and undergo blood draws and nasal swabs before and after any local heat waves; compensation is provided for participation. Researchers plan to analyze blood samples using transcriptomics—the study of gene expression—to identify disease biomarkers related to environmental conditions. “We don’t know yet what the outcomes will be,” said Leikauf.
According to Leikauf, older adults face higher risks from extreme heat including heart attacks, severe respiratory illness, kidney failure, dysphoria from sleep loss, impaired decision-making abilities due to thermoregulation difficulties that increase with age—and certain medications can further heighten sensitivity among those with chronic conditions. Prolonged exposure may result in hyperthermia with symptoms such as dizziness or nausea that could progress into life-threatening complications like heat stroke.
The Center for Collaboration on Climate & Community for Health was formally announced in fall 2024 with funding from a three-year $4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.