| Keywords |
Body mass index; Subcutaneous fat thickness; Thermal sensation; Local radiant heating; Body regional difference |
| Abstract |
The present study explored cutaneous warmth and hotness sensitivity on various body regions according to somatotypes during radiant heat exposure. Fifteen young males (18 to 38 kg/m2 in body mass index, BMI) participated in the measurements on the following four body regions: the forehead, forearm, abdomen, and foot. The surface temperature of a local radiant heater was set at an increasing rate of 1oC/s starting from the baseline skin temperature. The local radiant heater was located at a distance of 10 cm from the skin, which had the three heating sizes in 100, 225, and 400 cm2.
Skin temperature at the moment when subjects felt their first warmth or hotness sensation on the skin was considered as warmth or hotness thresholds. The increment in skin temperature to detect warmth or hotness sensation was considered as thermal insensitivity. A positive relationship was found between subcutaneous fat thickness and thermal insensitivity on the forearm, which indicates that individuals who have thicker subcutaneous fat are less sensitive to detect warmth or hotness sensation on the forearm. Positive relationships were found between BMI and thermal thresholds or insensitivity, but the significant relationships were found on the abdomen and foot only. These results indicate that individuals with greater subcutaneous fat or BMI are less sensitive to detect warmth or hotness sensation on the skin, but the significance depends of specific body regions. Furthermore, it is suggested that local thermal thresholds or sensitivity could be estimated based on overall morphological factors. |