How Does Temperature Change Affect Residents’ Health? A Multidimensional Health Perspective

Abstract Frequent heatwaves, the heat island effect, and numerous extreme weather events due to climate change and urbanization pose significant risks to public health. We constructed a system of indicators to measure four dimensions of health: physiological, psychological, social, and behavioral. Meanwhile, fixed-effect models were used to analyze data from the three waves (2013–18) across 113 cities in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). The findings displayed that both low and high temperatures negatively affect physiological, psychological, social, and behavioral health. Low temperatures had a greater potential to damage human physiological health and incur more medical expenses compared to high temperatures. The elderly were more vulnerable to physiological damage from extreme low temperatures. Excessive alcohol consumption and poor working environments intensified the negative influence of extreme temperatures. Geographical climate variations led to distinct health adaptability to heat and cold among residents of the south and north. In the mechanism test, household income was an effective mediating channel in this effect, which was further certified in rural households. Although installing air conditioning conferred psychological benefits in mitigating the adverse effects of extreme temperatures, its overuse induced physiological disorders. This study broadens health measurement and provides empirical evidence on the health effects of temperature extremes.