Public health impacts and heat exposure among people experiencing homelessness in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
1
Institute of Geography, Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro/RJ, Brazil
2
Departament of Geography, Federal University of Rondônia, Porto Velho, Brazil
3
Departament of Geography, University of São Paulo, São Paulo/SP, Brazil
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A437
ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT:
Over recent decades, Brazil has experienced a significant increase in the homelessness population, a phenomenon that has been particularly pronounced in major metropolitan areas and directly associated with the deepening of socioeconomic inequalities and the precarization of access to rights, including to the city (Teixeira et al., 2019). This population faces multiple and extreme forms of vulnerability, marked by food insecurity, limited access to health services, and increased susceptibility to adverse health outcomes, which are further intensified by continuous exposure to environmental conditions (Oscar et al., 2023). In parallel, the climate emergency has intensified the frequency, duration, and intensity of extreme heat events, posing a growing risk to public health, especially for socially marginalized groups. Recent evidence indicates increasing population exposure to heat even under more optimistic global warming scenarios, with direct impacts on thermal stress, morbidity and mortality (Lizana et al., 2026). Within this context, this study aimed to assess thermal comfort, climate perception, and heat exposure among people experiencing homelessness in the neighborhoods of Copacabana and Botafogo, in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The methodology combines the climatic classification of the urban environment using the Local Climate Zones framework (Stewart & Oke, 2012) with the calibration of the Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) index tailored to the realities of the homeless population. This integrated approach enables a comprehensive assessment of heat-related health risks and supports the development of protocols and public policies oriented toward the specific needs of this population. Although heat in Rio de Janeiro is still frequently treated as an abstraction, the findings underscore the urgent need to incorporate the climate emergency into urban public health agendas, recognizing extreme heat as a social determinant of health and highlighting the importance of intersectoral climate adaptation, social protection and climate justice policies.
Over recent decades, Brazil has experienced a significant increase in the homelessness population, a phenomenon that has been particularly pronounced in major metropolitan areas and directly associated with the deepening of socioeconomic inequalities and the precarization of access to rights, including to the city (Teixeira et al., 2019). This population faces multiple and extreme forms of vulnerability, marked by food insecurity, limited access to health services, and increased susceptibility to adverse health outcomes, which are further intensified by continuous exposure to environmental conditions (Oscar et al., 2023). In parallel, the climate emergency has intensified the frequency, duration, and intensity of extreme heat events, posing a growing risk to public health, especially for socially marginalized groups. Recent evidence indicates increasing population exposure to heat even under more optimistic global warming scenarios, with direct impacts on thermal stress, morbidity and mortality (Lizana et al., 2026). Within this context, this study aimed to assess thermal comfort, climate perception, and heat exposure among people experiencing homelessness in the neighborhoods of Copacabana and Botafogo, in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The methodology combines the climatic classification of the urban environment using the Local Climate Zones framework (Stewart & Oke, 2012) with the calibration of the Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) index tailored to the realities of the homeless population. This integrated approach enables a comprehensive assessment of heat-related health risks and supports the development of protocols and public policies oriented toward the specific needs of this population. Although heat in Rio de Janeiro is still frequently treated as an abstraction, the findings underscore the urgent need to incorporate the climate emergency into urban public health agendas, recognizing extreme heat as a social determinant of health and highlighting the importance of intersectoral climate adaptation, social protection and climate justice policies.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
We process personal data collected when visiting the website. The function of obtaining information about users and their behavior is carried out by voluntarily entered information in forms and saving cookies in end devices. Data, including cookies, are used to provide services, improve the user experience and to analyze the traffic in accordance with the Privacy policy. Data are also collected and processed by Google Analytics tool (more).
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
