TABLE 5—
Percentage Change (95% Confidence Interval) in Hospital Admissions for Viral Pneumonia,a by Weather Variables in Normal and El Niño Seasons: Females in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, California, 1983–1998
| Patients Aged 0–17 y | Patients Aged 18–55 y | Patients Aged ≥56 y | ||||
| Normal | El Niño | Normal | El Niño | Normal | El Niño | |
| Precipitationb | 1.0 (0.9, 1.1) | 0.0 (–0.2, 0.3) | 2.3 (2.3, 2.4) | 0.9 (0.7, 1.1) | –1.4 (–2.1, –0.7) | 0.8 (–0.1, 1.7) |
| Sea surface temperaturec | 21.6 (16.4, 27.1) | 8.5 (7.9, 9.1) | –4.3 (–14.8, 7.5) | 0.2 (–0.0, 0.3) | 6.6 (6.6, 6.6) | 18.4 (16.2, 20.7) |
| Temperature differenced | –1.3 (–5.4, 2.9) | –0.7 (–1.0, –0.5) | –2.9 (–3.8, –2.0) | –1.7 (–5.5, 2.3) | –10.5 (–12.1, –8.8) | 0.5 (0.4, 0.5) |
| Minimum temperatured | 30.4 (23.9, 37.2) | 18.4 (11.2, 26.0) | 31.9 (19.4, 45.6) | 30.9 (23.9, 38.2) | 31.7 (30.6, 32.9) | 16.5 (13.7, 19.4) |
| Mild El Niño vs normale | –3.0 (–4.4, –1.6) | –4.6 (–6.6, –2.6) | 1.3 (–1.6, 4.4) | |||
| Strong El Niño vs normale | –4.6 (–8.6, –0.5) | –4.2 (–9.7, 1.6) | –0.9 (–13.0, 12.9) | |||
aFour-day totals with a 7-day lag.
bOne unit of precipitation change is defined as an increase of 0.2 in.
cOne unit of sea surface temperature change is defined as a decrease of 1°C.
dOne unit of temperature change is defined as a decrease of 5°F.
eWith adjustment for weather variables and year.