Project List - CHIMES (CVD)

Climate change and health impact monitoring through e-health at SEACO (CHIMES)

Title: The Impacts of Climate Change on Cardiovascular Health (CVD) at the SEACO, Malaysia: a prospective cohort study

Duration: 2025 - 2026

Brief Summary of Project:

Rising temperatures from climate change present serious health risks across Southeast Asia, where cardiovascular disease is now the leading cause of death. Despite this growing threat, there is still very little local data on how extreme heat affects heart health in Malaysia. The CVD project addresses this gap by testing how practical it is to use wearable digital devices, indoor sensors, and local weather stations to track heat exposure alongside physiological changes. Based in Segamat using the SEACO platform, the study compares people living with cardiovascular conditions against healthy controls. Its main goal is to measure how heat and humidity affect daily blood pressure, vital signs, and overall disease burden. Researchers also want to see if wearable devices can reliably estimate blood pressure changes and examine how living conditions and socioeconomic status shape personal vulnerability to heat stress.

Funder: Monash University Malaysia Internal Grant