4.6 Article

Physiological and perceptual responses in the elderly to simulated daily living activities in UK summer climatic conditions

期刊

PUBLIC HEALTH
卷 161, 期 -, 页码 163-170

出版社

W B SAUNDERS CO LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2018.04.012

关键词

Elderly; Activities of daily living; Heat illness; Exercise; Health; Metabolic equivalent

资金

  1. Eastbourne Leisure Trust

向作者/读者索取更多资源

Objectives: The elderly population is at an increasingly significant health risk to heat-related illnesses and mortality when compared with younger people in the same conditions. This is due to an increased frequency and severity of heatwaves, attributed to climate change, and reduced ability of elderly individuals to dissipate excess heat. Consequently, most excess deaths and emergency visits during heatwaves occur in people aged more than 65 years. The aim of this investigation was to assess the physiological and perceptual responses of elderly people during exercise sessions equating to activities of daily living in UK summer climatic conditions. Study design: Mixed-method, randomised research design. Methods: Twenty-eight participants (17 males, 10 females and 1 transgender female) were randomly assigned into three experimental groups; 15 degrees C, 25 degrees C or 35 degrees C, with 50% relative humidity. Participants completed one preliminary and three experimental trials within their assigned environment. The data from the preliminary incremental recumbent cycling test was used to calculate participant's individual exercise intensities equating to 2, 4 and 6 metabolic equivalents (METs) for the subsequent trials. During experimental trials, participants completed 30-min seated rest and 30-min cycling. Results: No change was observed in thermal comfort ([TC] just uncomfortable in both trials), and only modest changes in ratings of perceived exertion (14 +/- 2 vs 15 +/- 2) at 6 METs in 25 degrees C compared with those in 35 degrees C were observed. In contrast, thermal strain markers did significantly increase (P < 0.05) across the same conditions, including change in rectal temperature (Delta T-re) during exercise (0.27 +/- 0.17 degrees C vs 0.64 +/- 0.18 degrees C) and peak skin temperature ([T-skin] 32.94 +/- 1.15 degrees C vs 36.11 +/- 0.44 degrees C). Conclusion: When completing exercise that equates to activities of daily living, elderly people could have a decreased perceptual awareness of the environment even though physiological markers of thermal strain are elevated. Consequently, the elderly could be less likely to implement behavioural thermoregulation interventions (i.e. seek shade and/or remove excess layers) due to a decreased awareness of an increasingly thermally challenging environment. (c) 2018 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

作者

我是这篇论文的作者
点击您的名字以认领此论文并将其添加到您的个人资料中。

评论

主要评分

4.6
评分不足

次要评分

新颖性
-
重要性
-
科学严谨性
-
评价这篇论文

推荐

暂无数据
暂无数据