Bathing-related accidents requiring ambulance dispatches in relation to age and ambient temperature in Nagoya, Japan: differences between detached houses and apartment buildings.

Akihiko NARISADA; Tomohiro UMEMURA; Nauta YAMANAKA; Kohta SUZUKI

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Bathing-related accidents requiring ambulance dispatches in relation to age and ambient temperature in Nagoya, Japan: differences between detached houses and apartment buildings.

Author: Akihiko NARISADA ¹ ; Tomohiro UMEMURA ² ; Nauta YAMANAKA ³ ; Kohta SUZUKI ³
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1. School of Nursing & Health, Aichi Prefectural University.
2. School of Health and Sport Science, Chukyo University.
3. Department of Health and Psychosocial Medicine, Aichi Medical University School of Medicine.
Publication Type:Journal Article
Keywords: Age-standardized incidence rate; Aging society; Bathing-related accidents; Bathing-related deaths; Distributed lag nonlinear modeling; Housing type; Japan; Low ambient temperature; Population-attributable fraction; Time-stratified case-crossover design
MeSH: Humans; Japan/epidemiology*; Aged; Middle Aged; Housing/statistics & numerical data*; Baths/adverse effects*; Ambulances/statistics & numerical data*; Male; Adult; Female; Temperature; Incidence; Aged, 80 and over; Young Adult; Age Factors; Adolescent; Child, Preschool; Infant; Child; Risk Factors; Infant, Newborn; Accidents, Home/statistics & numerical data*
From:Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 2025;30():72-72
CountryJapan
Language:English
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Previous studies have shown that old age and cold temperatures are risk factors for bathing-related accidents (BRAs) in Japan. The differences between outdoor and indoor temperatures are believed to depend on the housing type (detached houses or apartment buildings). This study aimed to investigate the associations between age, temperature, and BRAs according to housing type in Japan.
METHODS:We included cases in which patients were transported by ambulance from domestic bathrooms between April 2016 and March 2022 in Nagoya city. Age-specific BRA incidence rates measured by 5-year age groups, temperature-specific age-adjusted standardized incidence rates (SIRs) for BRA calculated by temperature quintile groups, and the BRA risk regarding temperature based on a time-stratified case-crossover (CCO) design were compared between detached houses and apartment buildings.
RESULTS:We observed 4,848 ambulance dispatches owing to BRAs (3,083 in detached houses and 1,765 in apartment buildings; SIR for detached houses compared to apartment buildings: 1.37; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.33-1.43). The ratio of detached houses to apartment buildings in the age-specific BRA incidence was almost the same in middle-aged people, but it significantly increased from the age of 70 years onward (incidence rate ratio for the 70-74-years age group: 1.74; 95% CI: 1.43-2.11). Temperature-specific SIR for detached houses compared to apartment buildings was not significantly different in the hottest temperature quintile but increased significantly in the other colder temperature quintiles (SIR in coldest quintile: 1.56; 95% CI: 1.47-1.66). BRA risk based on CCO design increased significantly with a decrease in temperature in detached houses (risk ratio [RR] for 3 °C: 1.25; 95% CI: 1.05-1.47), but not in apartment buildings (RR for 3 °C: 1.07; 95% CI: 0.86-1.34).
CONCLUSIONS:Detached houses had higher BRA incidence rates than apartments. Older age and lower temperatures, which are risk factors for BRAs, were more prevalent in detached houses than in apartment buildings. Thus, public health measures that focus on detached houses are necessary for preventing BRAs in Japan.