Body mapping of sweating patterns of pre-pubertal children during intermittent exercise in a warm environment

Abstract

Purpose To determine sweating responses of pre-pubertal children during intermittent exercise in a warm environment and create whole-body maps of regional sweat rate (RSRs) distribution across the body. Methods Thirteen pre-pubertal children; six girls and seven boys (8.1 ± 0.8 years) took part. Sweat was collected using the technical absorbent method in the last 5 min of a 30-min intermittent exercise protocol performed at 30 ℃, 40% relative humidity and 2 m·s−1 frontal wind. Results Mean gross sweat loss (GSL) was 126 ± 47 g·m−2·h−1 and metabolic heat production was 278 ± 50 W·m2. The lower anterior torso area had the lowest RSR with a median (IQR) sweat rate (SR) of 40 (32) g·m−2·h−1. The highest was the forehead with a median SR of 255 (163) g·m−2·h−1. Normalised sweat maps (the ratio of each region’s SR to the mean SR for all measured pad regions) showed girls displayed lower ratio values at the anterior and posterior torso, and higher ratios at the hands, feet and forehead compared to boys. Absolute SRs were similar at hands and feet, but girls sweated less in most other areas, even after correction for metabolic rate. Conclusion Pre-pubertal children have different RSRs across the body, also showing sex differences in sweat distribution. Distributions differ from adults. Hands and feet RSR remain stable, but SR across other body areas increase with maturation. These data can increase specificity of models of human thermoregulation, improve the measurement accuracy of child-sized thermal manikins, and aid companies during product design and communication.

Biological Sex Does Not Influence Core Temperature Change and Sweating of Children Exercising in a Warm Environment

“…Nevertheless, there is a substantial gap in the pediatric literature regarding the relative difference in the thermoregulatory sweating response to exercise between sexes, along with the potential mechanisms mediating any difference. Moreover, previous studies that have compared the sweating response to exercise between boys and girls (5,21,22) may be limited in their interpretation because of an exercise protocol that elicits differences in H ˙prod between participants (23).…”

“…A recent study provided important data on regional sweating patterns of children during exercise (21). Prepubertal girls were reported to sweat less than prepubertal boys during 30 min of intermittent treadmill exercise, even after correcting for differences in H˙ prod that determines the E req of participants (21).…”

“…A recent study provided important data on regional sweating patterns of children during exercise (21). Prepubertal girls were reported to sweat less than prepubertal boys during 30 min of intermittent treadmill exercise, even after correcting for differences in H˙ prod that determines the E req of participants (21). However, the exercise intensity administered as a percentage of maximum heart rate resulted in lower treadmill speeds for the girls, meaning that differences in aerobic fitness could have confounded the observed sex difference (21).…”

“…Prepubertal girls were reported to sweat less than prepubertal boys during 30 min of intermittent treadmill exercise, even after correcting for differences in H˙ prod that determines the E req of participants (21). However, the exercise intensity administered as a percentage of maximum heart rate resulted in lower treadmill speeds for the girls, meaning that differences in aerobic fitness could have confounded the observed sex difference (21). This observation warrants further research that directly compares thermoregulatory sweating during exercise between boys and girls with a methodological approach that removes the potential confounding factors between sexes.…”