Vienna Study: Heatwaves Drive Up Emergency Call Numbers by Nine Percent

As the authors emphasize, this effect remained statistically significant even after accounting for year, month, day of the week, and public holidays. The researchers suspect "a missing acclimatization effect at the beginning of the season," as was stated. This means that many people apparently react more sensitively precisely in the first phase of a heatwave, because the body has not yet adapted to the rising temperatures.

Risk Groups: Children and Older People

The effects were particularly pronounced in two age groups: children and adolescents aged 0 to 18 as well as adults between 76 and 85 years recorded a disproportionately high number of emergency operations on hot days. These findings align with international evidence showing that very young and older people are especially vulnerable to heat-related health problems.

Beyond the immediate health risk, the study also focuses on another aspect: the connection between climate change and demographic change. Thomas Dorner, editor of the publication and head of the Academy for Ageing Research at the Haus der Barmherzigkeit, sums it up: "Das Zusammenspiel von Klimawandel und Bevölkerungsalterung ist eine unbequeme Realität, der sich die Politik mit höchster Priorität stellen muss".

Exercise as a Protective Factor

Dorner also points to the importance of exercise in increasing resilience to heat stress. "Bewegung verbessert die Herz-Kreislauf-Leistungsfähigkeit, unterstützt die Thermoregulation und hilft dem Körper, Wärme effizienter abzugeben", according to his explanations. "Die zentrale Botschaft lautet nicht weniger Bewegung, sondern angepasste Bewegung", Dorner emphasizes.

Andrea Schmidt, co-author of the publication, adds social and caregiving aspects to this perspective. In the study "Sozio-technische Lösung für ein gesundes und klimakompetentes Leben pflegender Angehöriger in Caring Communities", she emphasizes, alongside technical and structural measures, above all the importance of social togetherness. "Wenn Nachbarschaften und Gemeinden füreinander Sorge tragen, profitieren nicht nur pflegebedürftige Menschen, sondern auch pflegende Angehörige", says Schmidt.

The data on care in Austria underscores this urgency: relatives carry out around 80 percent of unpaid care work and are often affected by social isolation and psychological burdens. A large proportion of caregiving relatives are themselves over 60 years old and therefore themselves count as a risk group during heat events.

Caregiving Relatives in Focus

Schmidt sees untapped potential in linking health promotion with ecological measures. "Gesundheitsförderung und ökologische Aspekte zusammenzudenken bietet Potenziale", according to Schmidt. The underlying message of the publication: people, especially older ones, must be able to remain mobile – under the motto "Ageing in Place," they should be able to live in their familiar environment for as long as possible.

The findings were presented together with further analyses: a total of 40 experts from 25 institutions contributed their insights in a publication and presented them at a press conference to draw attention to the health impacts of climate change. Among the participating institutions are bodies such as BOKU and Caritas.

The underlying weather data come from a dense measurement network with 506 points, which allows for fine-grained analysis across the city of Vienna. This sets the Vienna study apart from many international surveys, which are usually based on supra-regional average values. The fine spatial resolution makes it possible to examine heat-related effects in different city districts in a differentiated way.

Heatwaves in the Era of Climate Change

The researchers emphasize that their findings gain significance against the backdrop of advancing climate change. Since heatwaves in Europe are likely to become more frequent, more intense, and longer in the future, a further increase in heat-related health problems – and thus a growing burden on emergency services – is to be expected.

Beyond pure medical care, the study points to the role of preventive measures: sufficient fluid intake, cool retreats in the living environment, adapted daily rhythms with the shifting of physical activities to cooler times of day, as well as neighborhood help networks. These factors could contribute to noticeably reducing the number of emergency calls on hot days.

The authors hope that their findings will feed into urban and health policy decisions. References to concrete measures in Vienna or supra-regional heat protection plans were part of the presentation, with emphasis placed on the fact that adaptation strategies must be conceived both in structural-technical and social-communicative terms.

Overall, the study paints a picture of a dual challenge: on the one hand, Vienna's population is exposed to a growing health burden due to the increasing number of hot days; on the other hand, this burden particularly affects vulnerable groups. The Vienna analysis thus provides an empirical basis for developing targeted protective measures for children, adolescents, and older people, while also bringing caregiving relatives more into focus.