A study to assess the impact of heat stress on health in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka

The study will focus on coping strategies and ways to strengthen health systems to deal with heat stress. | Photo credit: V. RAJU

A study has been launched in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to assess the impact of heat on physical and mental health in South India and to develop a personalized heat impact measurement tool for individuals, households and communities.

The MSSwaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) will collaborate with state governments, SCARF, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru and ICMR institutions – National Institute of Traditional Medicine, Belagavi and National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai. “We are trying to get a detailed understanding of the impact of heat on human health in an attempt to map out what different departments need to do,” says MSSRF chairman Soumya Swaminathan. The project will also assess the readiness of health systems – from primary to tertiary – to manage heat stress among people.

The locations selected in Tamil Nadu are Perungudi in Chennai and Poompuhar in Mayiladuthurai, while in Karnataka they are Sirwar in Raichur and Chalakarre in Chitradurga. Up to 1,200 households were involved in each location for the study.

“For increasing the environmental temperature by one degree, what will be the heat stress, we will study that,” explains Mohan Kumar, Director, Health Systems and Nutrition, MSSRF. In preparation, two meteorological systems will be set up at each site to measure ambient temperature, pollution, air quality and humidity. A total of 80 area residents and trial participants will receive digital watches to monitor surface body temperature. Starting this summer, participants will be interviewed in three phases, followed by non-summer months and then one more summer.

Periodic monitoring

In addition to salivary cortisol levels, participants’ vital signs will be monitored regularly to understand the impact of heat stress on the individual. Participants were categorized as low, medium, and high risk of stress based on their age, gender, occupation, type of house they live in, and the presence of comorbidities.

“We will also study the preparedness of the health systems to deal with heat stress, so we are working with the governments of both states, including local authorities, and meteorological authorities,” explains Dr. Kumar. National data on heat-related morbidity and mortality will also be considered. “The first phase of the study will hopefully provide us with enough information to look at strategies for coping and strengthening health systems, find promising solutions to manage the crisis, prepare and implement them before it also spreads.”

Another goal of the study is also to develop an application for early warning systems that could be tailored to the wearer’s location. It will gather information about the environment and weaving in an individual’s specific conditions will create a thermal risk forecast for that day. This could also be generated at the community level, he adds.

Published – 22 Jul 2026 01:18 IST