Impact of Summer Heat on Children's Physiological Responses During Football Training

Satow, Malte ; Wibowo, Razan ; Böse-O’Reilly, Stephan ; Koller, Daniela ; Daanen, Hein und Rakete, Stefan (2024): Impact of Summer Heat on Children's Physiological Responses During Football Training. SSRN

Abstract

Background: With rising summer temperatures due to climate change, concerns are growing about the impact of heat on children's health during outdoor physical activity. This study aims to analyze these concerns by investigating the specific effects of heat exposure on children's physiology during outdoor sports, such as football training. Methods: This crossover study investigated the effects of heat on several physiological parameters (e.g., ear and skin temperature) by monitoring 51 male children (aged 8-12 years) during outdoor football training sessions. Participants wore wearable sensors and were either part of a club football team (club) or a football camp (camp). Both groups were monitored twice. Club participants were monitored during two separate training days, one session in warm weather (≥ 25°C, June - August 2023) and one session in moderate weather (< 20°C, either spring or fall 2023). Camp participants were monitored during two training sessions on the same warm summer day (≥ 25°C). For both groups, urine density was measured before and after each training session to assess hydration status.Results: Ear and skin temperatures were significantly higher for both club and camp participants during the warm observation period compared to moderate outdoor temperatures. For club participants, median ear temperature increased from 35.4°C during moderate weather to 36.5°C during warm weather training. Similarly, camp participants experienced an increase from 36.4°C to 36.9°C. Skin temperature followed a similar trend. Median skin temperature for club participants increased by 1.8°C in warm weather (33.4°C vs. 31.6°C), while camp participants experienced a 1.0°C increase (35.4°C vs. 34.4°C).Conclusion: Our results demonstrated a significant increase in the measured physiological parameters during outdoor football training in summer 2023. While long-term health and performance implications require further investigation, these observations emphasize the need for proactive measures to minimize excessive heat exposure during children's physical activities.

• Dokumententyp: Paper
• Keywords: Children; heat stress; outdoor activity; football; climate change; temperature
• Fakultät: Medizin > Institut und Poliklinik für Arbeits-, Sozial- und Umweltmedizin
• Themengebiete: 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften > 610 Medizin und Gesundheit
• Sprache: Englisch