Studies on information provision of heat stroke prevention considering regional characteristics

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K01822
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Applied health science
• Research Institution: Kochi University of Technology
• Principal Investigator: Akatsuka Shin 高知工科大学, システム工学群, 准教授 (80548743)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 熱中症

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Fixed points automatic meteorological observations were conducted in the urban area and the suburbs, and the difference in thermal environment between the observation points in the urban area and the suburbs was examined. As a result, the daily maximum WBGT in the suburbs could rise to the same level as in the urban areas, and it was found that heat stroke prevention measures are also required in the suburbs. Furthermore, we investigated a method to solve the problem of spatial representativeness of meteorological data by using numerical prediction data and mesoscale numerical weather prediction system (WRF: The Weather Research and Forecasting Model). Although we were able to clarify the characteristics of each data, we could not develop an effective method to solve the problem of spatial representativeness of meteorological data.

Free Research Field

空間情報工学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究により，比較的涼しいイメージがある郊外(里山)においても暑さ指数の日最高値（日最高WBGT）は市街地と同程度まで上昇することがあり，65歳以上が65歳未満よりも3℃以上も低い日最高WBGTで熱中症が発症する可能性があることが示唆された．これらは，日頃の熱中症予防対策に関して意義ある情報であり，熱中症予防対策に広く利用されている「熱中症に関する予防指針」における温度区分は，高齢者と高齢者以外で異なる基準にする必要があることが示された．さらに，このことから市町村レベルよりも小さいスケールの地域を代表する気温やWBGTデータを作成することの重要性が再確認されたと考える．