| Keywords |
The elderly; Severe cold region; District heating; Wearing habits; Self-identified thermal perception |
| Abstract |
This study explores self-identified thermal perception and wearing habits of elderly Korean Chinese in Yanji city, Northeast China. Responses from a total of 193 participants were analyzed: 51 males and 142 females.
Participants answered thirty-one questions concerning the following: wearing habits, thermoregulatory behavior, selfidentified cold tolerance, thermal perception, and heating conditions, etc. The results showed that the indoor temperature in Yanji was kept sufficiently warm during the heating period due to district heating, but a high percentage of respondents wore thermal underwear not only outdoors but also indoors. And only 14.7% of respondents said they were not vulnerable to cold (male 25.5%, female 10.8%, P = 0.022). Nevertheless, when asked what outdoor temperature they thought that it was cold in winter, they answered that the temperature was below -16.2 ± 8.2℃, which is very low. Interestingly, 76.6% answered that they preferred indoor temperature in winter above 24℃, which is relatively warm. 98.9% said they were supplied with district heating in the winter. Over many years, elderly Korean Chinese have adapted to both high indoor temperatures and harsh outdoor cold. Accordingly, it seems that their wintertime indoor and outdoor thermal perception have developed separately in winter. |