Health disparities among older adults following tropical cyclone exposure in Florida

This article investigates whether hospitalization risks from tropical cyclones in Florida (FL) varied across individuals and communities. The researchers modelled the associations between all storms in FL from 1999 to 2016 and over 3.5 million Medicare hospitalizations for respiratory and cardiovascular disease, estimating the relative risk, and comparing hospitalizations during tropical cyclone periods to matched non-cyclone periods. They then separately modelled the associations in relation to individual and community characteristics.

Tropical cyclones were associated with elevated risk of respiratory disease (RD) hospitalizations, but not for cardiovascular disease (CVD). There was limited evidence of modification by individual characteristics (age, sex, or Medicaid eligibility); however, risks were elevated in communities with higher poverty or lower homeownership (for CVD hospitalizations) and in denser or more urban communities (for RD hospitalizations).