Department of Geography, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.
Department of Kinesiology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.
Int J Biometeorol. 2020 Apr;64(4):643-650. doi: 10.1007/s00484-019-01853-4. Epub 2020 Jan 3.
Many high school associations in recent years are developing policies to improve player safety regarding exertional heat illnesses (EHIs). A question is whether states with diverse climates need multiple sets of guidelines with different activity modification thresholds. We examine this question in the state of Georgia, which has a diverse climate. Our study leverages a multi-year dataset of exertional heat illnesses (EHIs) among high school football players to test the hypothesis that EHI rates under similar wet bulb globe temperatures (WBGTs) will be greater among athletes in the cooler, northern region versus warmer, southern region of the state. The focus of this study is on a 3-year period (2012-2014) when uniform heat safety polices, including acclimatization and activity modification guidelines, were implemented across the state. Results show that athletes in the northern region acclimatize to cooler conditions. Almost 68% of practices have WBGTs < 27.8 °C (82 °F) compared to the southern region where athletes receive many times the exposures to hotter WBGTs in the 27.8-30.5 °C and 30.6-32.2 °C categories. In the post-acclimatization period, we observed statistically significantly (p < .05) greater EHI rates among athletes in the northern region of the state, even when controlling for meteorological conditions. Our findings suggest that differential acclimatization between football players in the northern and southern regions of the state is impacting EHI rates and that regional heat safety guidelines may be needed in Georgia and other states with similarly diverse climates.
近年来，许多高中协会都在制定政策，以提高运动员在运动性热疾病（EHIs）方面的安全性。一个问题是，气候多样的州是否需要多套指南，并有不同的活动调整阈值。我们在气候多样的佐治亚州检验了这一问题。我们的研究利用了一项多年的高中足球运动员运动性热疾病（EHIs）数据集，以检验以下假设：在相似的湿球黑球温度（WBGT）下，运动员在气候较凉爽的北部地区与气候较温暖的南部地区相比，EHIs 的发生率会更高。本研究的重点是在 2012-2014 年的 3 年期间，当时全州实施了统一的热安全政策，包括适应和活动调整指南。研究结果表明，北部地区的运动员适应了较凉爽的条件。与南部地区相比，几乎 68%的训练的湿球黑球温度（WBGT）<27.8°C（82°F），而南部地区的运动员在 27.8-30.5°C 和 30.6-32.2°C 这两个类别中会多次接触到更热的 WBGT。在适应期后，我们观察到即使在控制气象条件的情况下，州北部地区的运动员的 EHI 发生率仍存在统计学上显著（p<.05）的差异。我们的研究结果表明，该州北部和南部地区的足球运动员之间的适应差异正在影响 EHI 发生率，佐治亚州和其他气候类似多样化的州可能需要制定区域性热安全指南。
