Background

This study uses a mixed methods analysis to examine the heat–health vulnerability of informal settlement residents in Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania. Despite rapidly rising surface temperatures across Africa, little research has focused on the vulnerability of urban informal settlements to heat-related health risks.

Study highlights and findings

• Climate projections confirm increasing temperatures, with both daytime and night-time heat stress set to worsen in the coming decades.
• Heat poses significant health risks in Dar es Salaam.
• Informal settlement residents are particularly vulnerable due to a combination of high exposure (e.g. poor housing, urban heat-island effects), high sensitivity (e.g. pre-existing health conditions, lack of access to health care) and low adaptive capacity (e.g. limited cooling options, financial constraints).

This study highlights the intersection of heat–health impacts and vulnerability in the context of climate change. There is an urgent need for more research into heat–health impacts and targeted adaptation strategies to protect vulnerable populations – particularly in LMICs and in ‘hotter’ regions.