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Impact Of Heat-Related Illness And Natural Environments On Behavioral Health Related Emergency And Hospital Utilization In Florida, Natasha Kurji

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Behavioral health disorders are the leading cause of disability in the United States and are known to have multidimensional effect on wellbeing. Several environmental factors are known to impact behavioral health such as weather (i.e. heat) and access to natural environments (i.e. parks and beaches). The study goals were to identify contextual factors that increase the co-occurrence of heat-related illness and behavioral health disorders, illustrate the re-utilization patterns of these co-occurring cases in Florida emergency and inpatient settings, and explore the association between behavioral health disorders such as anxiety and depression, and natural environments such as parks and beaches. The …