24-h movement behaviour, thermal perception, thirst, and heat management strategies of children and adults during heat alerts: a pilot study
Background: Heat waves caused by climate change are increasingly challenging the wellbeing of individuals across the lifespan. Current efforts to understand the thermal perceptions and behaviours of people throughout the lifespan during heat waves are limited.Methods: Since June 2021, the Active Hea...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Physiology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2023.1179844/full |
| _version_ | 1797830888746123264 |
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| author | Nicholas Ravanelli Nicholas Ravanelli Nathan Morris Shawnda A. Morrison Shawnda A. Morrison |
| author_facet | Nicholas Ravanelli Nicholas Ravanelli Nathan Morris Shawnda A. Morrison Shawnda A. Morrison |
| author_sort | Nicholas Ravanelli |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Heat waves caused by climate change are increasingly challenging the wellbeing of individuals across the lifespan. Current efforts to understand the thermal perceptions and behaviours of people throughout the lifespan during heat waves are limited.Methods: Since June 2021, the Active Heatwave project has been recruiting households to better understand how individuals perceive, cope, and behave during heat waves. Using our novel web platform, participants were prompted to answer our Heat Alert Survey on days when a participants geolocation corresponded to a broadcasted local heat alert. Participants provided 24-h movement behaviour, thirst, thermal perception, and cooling strategies via validated questionnaires.Results: A total of 285 participants (118 children) from 60 distinct weather station locations globally participated between June and September 2021 and 2022. At least 1 heat alert (834 total) were identified from 95% (57/60) of the weather stations. Children reported spending more time performing vigorous intensity exercise compared to adults (p < 0.05), but no differences in thermal sensation, thermal comfort, or thirst sensation (all p > 0.31) were observed. For thirst management, 88% of respondents used water to relieve thirst, although notably, 15% of adults reported using alcohol. Regardless of age, staying indoors was the most common heat management strategy, whereas visiting cooling centres was the least.Conclusion: The present study presents a proof-of-concept combining local heat alert notifications with e-questionnaires for collecting near-real-time perceptual and behavioural data for both children and adults during heat waves. The observed patterns of behaviour suggest that present public heat-health guidelines are often ignored, children engage in fewer heat management strategies compared to adults, and these disparities highlight the need to improve public health communication and knowledge dissemination around promoting effective and accessible cooling solutions for children and adults. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T13:43:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-03c653976ead455d82284765a315a397 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-042X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T13:43:35Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Physiology |
| spelling | doaj.art-03c653976ead455d82284765a315a3972023-05-09T05:40:28ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Physiology1664-042X2023-05-011410.3389/fphys.2023.1179844117984424-h movement behaviour, thermal perception, thirst, and heat management strategies of children and adults during heat alerts: a pilot studyNicholas Ravanelli0Nicholas Ravanelli1Nathan Morris2Shawnda A. Morrison3Shawnda A. Morrison4School of Kinesiology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON, CanadaCentre for Research in Occupational Safety and Health, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, CanadaWilliam J. Hybl Sports Medicine and Performance Center, Department of Human Physiology and Nutrition, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, CO, United StatesFaculty of Sport, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, SloveniaHuman Potential Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, SingaporeBackground: Heat waves caused by climate change are increasingly challenging the wellbeing of individuals across the lifespan. Current efforts to understand the thermal perceptions and behaviours of people throughout the lifespan during heat waves are limited.Methods: Since June 2021, the Active Heatwave project has been recruiting households to better understand how individuals perceive, cope, and behave during heat waves. Using our novel web platform, participants were prompted to answer our Heat Alert Survey on days when a participants geolocation corresponded to a broadcasted local heat alert. Participants provided 24-h movement behaviour, thirst, thermal perception, and cooling strategies via validated questionnaires.Results: A total of 285 participants (118 children) from 60 distinct weather station locations globally participated between June and September 2021 and 2022. At least 1 heat alert (834 total) were identified from 95% (57/60) of the weather stations. Children reported spending more time performing vigorous intensity exercise compared to adults (p < 0.05), but no differences in thermal sensation, thermal comfort, or thirst sensation (all p > 0.31) were observed. For thirst management, 88% of respondents used water to relieve thirst, although notably, 15% of adults reported using alcohol. Regardless of age, staying indoors was the most common heat management strategy, whereas visiting cooling centres was the least.Conclusion: The present study presents a proof-of-concept combining local heat alert notifications with e-questionnaires for collecting near-real-time perceptual and behavioural data for both children and adults during heat waves. The observed patterns of behaviour suggest that present public heat-health guidelines are often ignored, children engage in fewer heat management strategies compared to adults, and these disparities highlight the need to improve public health communication and knowledge dissemination around promoting effective and accessible cooling solutions for children and adults.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2023.1179844/fullheat wavethermal perceptionheat mitigation strategiescooling solutionsadultschildren |
| spellingShingle | Nicholas Ravanelli Nicholas Ravanelli Nathan Morris Shawnda A. Morrison Shawnda A. Morrison 24-h movement behaviour, thermal perception, thirst, and heat management strategies of children and adults during heat alerts: a pilot study Frontiers in Physiology heat wave thermal perception heat mitigation strategies cooling solutions adults children |
| title | 24-h movement behaviour, thermal perception, thirst, and heat management strategies of children and adults during heat alerts: a pilot study |
| title_full | 24-h movement behaviour, thermal perception, thirst, and heat management strategies of children and adults during heat alerts: a pilot study |
| title_fullStr | 24-h movement behaviour, thermal perception, thirst, and heat management strategies of children and adults during heat alerts: a pilot study |
| title_full_unstemmed | 24-h movement behaviour, thermal perception, thirst, and heat management strategies of children and adults during heat alerts: a pilot study |
| title_short | 24-h movement behaviour, thermal perception, thirst, and heat management strategies of children and adults during heat alerts: a pilot study |
| title_sort | 24 h movement behaviour thermal perception thirst and heat management strategies of children and adults during heat alerts a pilot study |
| topic | heat wave thermal perception heat mitigation strategies cooling solutions adults children |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2023.1179844/full |
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