Association of Mean Temperature, Rainfall, and Relative Humidity with the Incidence of New-onset Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension, and Obesity in Central Luzon, the Philippines

Previous studies have noted the association of climate change with newly detected type 2 diabetes (T2D), hypertension (HTN), and obesity. However, studies on the topic are still scarce and require further studies in other geographic locations, particularly in tropical countries like the Philippines. Hence, in this research, we determined the association of temperature, humidity, and rainfall with the incidence of new-onset T2D, HTN, and obesity in Central Luzon, the Philippines. Secondary data on the three conditions were obtained from the annual Field Health Service Information System of the Philippine Department of Health. At the same time, climatological data were obtained from the Climate and Agrometeorological Data Section of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration. All data were then consolidated into a structured Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and were statistically analyzed. Heat maps on the distribution of the diseases in the province were also drafted using QGIS. Using Spearman’s correlation, we showed that new-onset T2D is significantly associated with all three climatological variables tested, with strong correlations noted on mean temperature. On the other hand, new-onset HTN is significantly associated with mean temperature and amount of rainfall. No associations were noted for obesity, and no distinct pattern of disease distribution was noted in the heatmaps. Based on our knowledge, this is the first study in the Philippines that explored the relationship between lifestyle diseases and climatological variables. Our findings suggest that climatological factors affect disease onset, particularly HTN and T2D. However, further longitudinal studies are needed to verify these claims.