Abstract / Summary
Older adults experience high rates of thermal discomfort and adverse thermal health outcomes, yet population-scale mitigation pathways remain poorly understood. Cross-sectional epidemiological methods, applied here for the first time to indoor thermal environments research, were used to identify risk factors for residential thermal discomfort and thermal insensitivity among older adults in Canada. Thermal insensitivity, reduced perception of discomfort despite no improvement in indoor conditions, is treated as a population-level phenomenon distinct from discomfort, with separate implications for intervention design. Survey data from adults aged 60+ across Canada were analysed using elastic net logistic regression to identify personal characteristics, housing features, and thermal control behaviours predictive of discomfort and insensitivity. Risk factors implicating a specific mechanism informed intervention design directions. Cross-seasonal discomfort risk factors included barriers to home modifications, lower income, and fewer years living in the home. Winter-specific factors included not adjusting clothing when cold, owning a portable humidifier, social isolation, fuel poverty, and prioritizing sustainable thermostat settings. Summer-specific factors included lack of central air conditioning and not using programmable thermostats. Risk factors identifying vulnerable groups without implicating a clear mechanism indicated populations to prioritize for intervention delivery, including residents of multi-unit residential buildings, renters, homes built 1961–1977 and 1984–1995, and females. Thermal insensitivity was observed among those who prioritize environmental sustainability in summer, and among older respondents. This research identified high-risk groups for thermal discomfort and insensitivity to inform targeted interventions such as thermal warning technology, energy retrofits, removal of barriers to thermal adaptive behaviours, and home modification assistance.