Impact of Individual and Community-Level Deprivation on Cold Spells and Respiratory Health: A Nationwide Study from 2007 to 2018

Climate change poses a serious threat to human health, emphasizing the need to understand social vulnerability, particularly deprivation, in implementing effective adaptation strategies. Despite chronic respiratory diseases affecting 454.6 million people globally, current research often focuses on the respiratory health and extremely hot

temperature, overlooking the impact of extreme cold exposure. Prior studies have mainly explored sociodemographic indicators, leaving dimensions like housing and community facilities understudied. In addition to considering deprivation indicators such as age, sex, education, and occupation, my proposed research aims to

address this gap comprehensively. It will assess various deprivation indicators, including housing and neighborhood characteristics (such as access to health facilities, proportion of home central heating, average age of buildings, household deprivation), and urbaneness (urbanicity and population density) in the context of cold

spells and respiratory health. By examining individual and community-level factors, I aim to uncover the short-term effects of cold spells on respiratory health and understand how deprivation influences this impact. This research addresses a critical gap in understanding spatial and temporal patterns, helping identify vulnerable populations

and providing valuable insights for targeted intervention strategies.