New study explores how people with schizophrenia experience heat inside their homes
Funded through Health Canada’s HeatADAPT program, the research aims to support better, more inclusive planning and responses to extreme heat.
The 2021 heat dome claimed at least 619 lives in B.C. and revealed how unevenly extreme heat can affect different communities. Later research found that people living with schizophrenia—who make up about one per cent of the population—accounted for nearly 16 per cent of those deaths.
Dr. Liv Yoon, assistant professor in the School of Kinesiology in the UBC faculty of education, has been investigating why this group was so disproportionately affected. Her latest project, co-led with Dr. Christian Schütz and Dr. Randall White of UBC faculty of medicine, Dr. Peter Crank of the University of Waterloo, and in partnership with BC Schizophrenia Society and the Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo-Wellington, explores how people living with schizophrenia experience extreme heat inside their homes.
Funded through Health Canada’s HeatADAPT program announced today, the research aims to support better, more inclusive planning and responses to extreme heat. We spoke with Dr. Yoon about the project.
Why are people with schizophrenia especially vulnerable to extreme heat?
There isn’t one single reason. Some medications used to treat schizophrenia can make it harder for the body to cool itself down. Schizophrenia can also affect awareness of bodily sensations, so someone may not recognize that they are overheating or know when to act.
Everyday circumstances can add to that risk. For someone experiencing auditory hallucinations, a crowded, noisy cooling centre may not feel safe. Some people may miss heat warnings if they avoid the news because it increases anxiety or paranoia.
People living with schizophrenia are also more likely to experience unemployment, poverty and social isolation. They may have fewer resources to cope with extreme heat and fewer people checking in on them. Together, these factors can increase the risk of serious harm.
What are you looking at in this new study?
In our earlier research, we interviewed people living with schizophrenia who survived the 2021 heat dome, and heard firsthand what they experienced. Those conversations gave us important insights, but they happened about two years after the event, so we couldn’t fully understand what conditions were actually like inside their homes.
This study aims to fill in those gaps. We’ll continue gathering people’s experiences during heat events as they happen. We’ll also place sensors in participants’ homes to measure things like temperature and air quality, and use wearable devices to track how their bodies respond to heat.
By bringing all of this information together, we hope to build a clearer picture of what puts people at risk. The study will run over 15 months and cover two summers, including periods of wildfire smoke, which often happen alongside extreme heat.
That’s important because the coroner’s report on the 2021 heat dome found that 98 per cent of deaths happened indoors. Many homes in Canada, especially in coastal B.C., weren’t built to handle long periods of extreme heat. Older buildings, where lower-income residents are more likely to live, can trap heat during the day and stay hot overnight, giving people little chance to recover from the heat.
What do you hope this research leads to?
We want to better understand how people’s living conditions, personal experiences and physical responses to heat work together to shape risk.
Since the 2021 heat dome, governments and organizations have taken steps to better protect people during extreme heat. B.C. Hydro introduced a free air conditioner program and more public spaces, including libraries, now operate as cooling centres with extended hours.
These efforts help, but they don’t work for everyone. A potential rent increase tied to installing air conditioning could force someone out of their home. A cooling centre isn’t much use if public transit is inaccessible, unreliable or too expensive. It’s not enough for supports to exist—they also have to be practical and accessible.
We need a wider range of solutions, including cooler building design, stronger housing standards, affordable housing policies, accessible community supports and more ways to help people keep their homes safe during extreme heat.
Working with partners, including the BC Schizophrenia Society and our clinical colleagues, we hope to turn these findings into practical recommendations shaped by both research evidence and the experiences of people directly affected.
What practical steps can families, neighbours and service providers take to support people with schizophrenia?
One of the biggest risk factors is social isolation, so staying connected matters. Family members, neighbours, healthcare providers, support workers and community organizations can check in with people before and during heat events, make sure they know about heat warnings and help them access support if they need it.
At the same time, the responsibility can’t fall only on individuals. Reducing the risks of extreme heat will also require action from healthcare systems, governments, housing providers and community organizations.
This 4-year, Health Canada-funded HeatADAPT project is recruiting participants in the Waterloo-Wellington region of Ontario. View the study poster or fill out the eligibility survey to learn more.
