| Keywords |
Heat wave; Sweat responses; Skin hydration; Ageing; Sweat sensation |
| Abstract |
The purpose of this study was to investigate physiological and subjective sweat responses of elderly and young males in hot and humid environments. Nine elderly and 11 young males participated in the following experimental conditions: WBGT 27oC (Air temperature 30oC, and air humidity 70%RH) and WBGT 32oC (35oC, 70%RH) with two activity levels (sitting on a chair for 60 min and walking on a treadmill for 60 min). The walking speeds were 4.0 km/hr for young males and 2.3 km/hr for elderly males. The results showed that 1) total sweating rate was 34.3% and 36.6% smaller for the elderly than for the young in WBGT 27oC and 32oC, respectively (p<.05).
Skin hydration at rest was less for the elderly than for the young in both WBGT 27oC and 32-oC. The skin of the young males was quickly and evenly saturated throughout the whole body from the beginning in WBGT 32oC, whereas the elder males’ skin was slowly and unevenly saturated. At rest, elderly males expressed greater humidity and sweat sensations in WBGT 27oC than in WBGT 32oC which was interpreted as perceptual confusions, while such perceptual confusions were not found during exercise in either WBGT 27oC or WBGT 32oC. These results suggest that the elderly’s perspiration and other sweat responses in hot and humid environments were impaired psychologically as well as physiologically. |