Water is life

Heat strain in children during unstructured outdoor physical activity in a continental summer climate

The purpose of this study was to assess the heat strain experienced by children during unstructured physical activity outdoors in a temperate continental summer climate. Eighteen children (7 girls, 12.1 ± 1.7 years) performed up to 4 h of outdoor free-play (duration: 218 ± 33 min; air temperature of 24.5 ± 3.9°C and relative humidity of 66.2 ± 9.2%). Urine specific gravity (USG) was measured pre- and post-free-play, while body core temperature (Tco, ingestible pill) and heart rate (HR) were measured continuously. Physiological strain index (PSI) was calculated from Tco and HR (scale: 0 (none) to 10 (very high)). Activity levels were categorized as rest, light, moderate, and vigorous based on the metabolic equivalent of task, estimated from video analysis. Most children were euhydrated pre (78%, USG ≤ 1.020), but not post-free-play (28%, USG ≤ 1.020). Mean and peak Tco, HR, and PSI responses were 37.8 ± 0.3°C and 38.4 ± 0.3°C, 133 ± 14 bpm and 180 ± 12 bpm, and 4.7 ± 1.1 (low) and 7.4 ± 1.0 (high), respectively. All children reached peak Tco≥38.0°C, with seven ≥38.5°C, and the highest at 38.9°C. The children spent 58 ± 15% of free-play engaged in moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity. During free-play, all of the children performed moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity, which was associated with pronounced elevations in heat strain.

Interactive effects of age and hydration state on human thermoregulatory function during exercise in hot-dry conditions

AIM

Ageing and hypohydration independently attenuate heat dissipation during exercise; however, the interactive effects of these factors remain unclear. We assessed the hypothesis that ageing suppresses hypohydration-induced reductions in whole-body heat loss during exercise in the heat.

METHODS

On two occasions, eight young (mean [SD]: 24 [4] years) and eight middle-aged (59 [5] years) men performed 30-minute bouts of light (heat production of 175 W m^-2 ) and moderate (275 W m^-2 ) cycling (separated by 15-minute rest) in the heat (40°C, 15% relative humidity) when euhydrated and hypohydrated (~4% reduction in body mass). Heat production and whole-body net heat exchange (evaporative heat loss + dry heat gain) were measured via indirect and direct calorimetry (respectively) and heat storage was calculated via their temporal summation.

RESULTS

Net heat exchange was reduced, while heat storage was elevated, in the middle-aged men during moderate exercise when euhydrated (both P ≤ 0.01). In the young, evaporative heat loss was attenuated in the hypohydrated vs euhydrated condition during light (199 ± 6 vs 211 ± 10 W m^-2 ; P ≤ 0.01) and moderate (287 ± 15 vs 307 ± 13 W m^-2 ; P ≤ 0.01) exercise, but was similar in the middle-aged men, averaging 223 ± 6 and 299 ± 15 W m^-2 , respectively, across conditions (both P ≥ 0.32). Heat storage was thereby exacerbated by hypohydration in the young (both P < 0.01) but not the middle-aged (both P ≥ 0.32) during both exercise bouts and, as a result, was similar between groups when hypohydrated (both P ≥ 0.50).

CONCLUSION

Hypohydration attenuates heat loss via sweating in young but not middle-aged men, indicating that ageing impairs one's ability to mitigate further sweat-induced fluid loss during hypohydration.