Intersection Between Age and Race-Ethnicity on Exposure to Heat Wave, Severe Weather, and Wildfire Events in a National U.S. Sample

Older adults and people of color have been disproportionately impacted by extreme weather events. We examined the moderating role of race-ethnicity in the association between age and exposure to three weather events. Data were retrieved for 9,763 people from the 2022 American Trends Panel study, a nationally representative U.S. adult sample. Three separate logistic regression models analyzed whether the relationship between age group and weather event exposures (heat wave, wildfire, or flood/intense storm) varied by race-ethnicity (White, Black, Hispanic, or Asian). There was only a significant interaction between age and race-ethnicity on exposure to flood/intense storm (P < 0.001). Flood/intense storm exposure significantly decreased in older ages for White adults, but increased in older ages for Asian adults. There were no major trends in flood/intense storm exposure among Black and Hispanic adults. These findings have implications for aging-in-place and public policy as extreme weather events become more frequent.