New Four-Year Study to Examine Impact of Rising Heat on Health and Mental Stress in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka
With temperatures steadily climbing across the country, researchers have launched an extensive four-year study to better understand how extreme heat is affecting people’s daily lives, health, and mental well-being.
The study is being carried out by the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) in collaboration with several leading scientific and medical institutions, including the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, ICMR-National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai, ICMR-National Institute of Traditional Medicine, Belagavi and the Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF) in Chennai.
The project will focus on four locations across Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, where researchers will closely track how rising heat levels are impacting families and communities over a long period.
Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Chairperson of MSSRF, said the objective of the study is to understand how much heat people are exposed to in their homes and workplaces, how common heat-related illnesses have become, and what coping strategies communities are adopting to deal with extreme weather conditions.
She also said the study would examine the effect of heat on mental health and emotional well-being, particularly the factors contributing to stress among vulnerable communities.
According to Dr Swaminathan, this is part of a broader effort to document the impact of rising temperatures on people’s lives, especially from the perspective of gender and everyday living conditions in Indian cities and towns.
While an earlier study on the subject has already been completed and published, this new project is designed as a long-term research initiative following families over four years.
The first phase of the study has been planned with an estimated budget of around Rs 12 crore.
Dr Mohan Kumar explained that during the initial two years, researchers will conduct surveys involving nearly 6,000 people across the selected sites.
Around 1,500 individuals from each location will be interviewed during both peak summer months and comparatively cooler periods to assess how seasonal temperature changes affect health.
In addition, 320 households — 80 from each study area — will be monitored more closely over two years to study the long-term impact of prolonged heat exposure.
Researchers will also record indoor environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, and air quality inside homes using specialised monitoring devices.
Participants’ body temperature and vital signs will be tracked through smartwatches, while health indicators such as blood pressure, blood sugar, height, and weight will also be checked regularly.
To understand stress levels linked to extreme heat, researchers will measure salivary cortisol, a biological marker commonly associated with stress and mental strain.
The locations selected for the study include Perungudi near Taramani and Poompuhar in Tamil Nadu. In Karnataka, the research will be conducted in Sirwar and Challakere.
Researchers believe the findings could help policymakers and public health experts develop better strategies to protect communities as India continues to experience longer and more intense heatwaves in the coming years.
