Zhang Zhongjun, Wang Yaqian, Wu Zhaoji
School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Anyang Institute of Technology, Anyang, 455000, China.
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong , China.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 2;15(1):23276. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-06785-1.
Although extreme heat waves present a significant challenge to urban residents, the elderly in China prefer to go outdoors in summer. Shaded areas in parks may offer an ideal space for their outdoor activities. To assess the thermal adaptation of the elderly in open spaces during periods of high temperature, this study conducted an on-site test and survey for two groups, the elderly (aged 60 and above) and the non-elderly (aged below 60), in a park with tree-shaded areas in China. In total, 557 valid samples were collected, including microclimate parameters, visiting patterns, and subjective responses. Statistical analysis showed that the temperature-related parameters in shaded areas were significantly lower than those in open spaces. Among the elderly, 47.5% visited the park daily, and 33.6% chose to go out even when the temperature reached 36.8 ± 2.6 °C. The thermal sensitivity of the elderly was significantly lower than that of the non-elderly. Both groups showed a high level of thermal acceptability at elevated temperatures with no significant difference. For the elderly, the standard effective temperature was 32.4 °C for 80% thermal acceptability, and 25.7 °C for 90% acceptability. The high acceptability might be attributed to psychological adaptation driven by their willingness for outdoor activities.
尽管极端热浪给城市居民带来了重大挑战，但中国的老年人更喜欢在夏天外出。公园中的阴凉区域可能为他们的户外活动提供理想空间。为了评估高温时期老年人在开放空间中的热适应性，本研究在中国一个有树荫区域的公园中，对老年人（60岁及以上）和非老年人（60岁以下）两组人群进行了现场测试和调查。总共收集了557个有效样本，包括小气候参数、到访模式和主观反应。统计分析表明，阴凉区域与温度相关的参数显著低于开放空间。在老年人中，47.5%的人每天都会去公园，即使温度达到36.8±2.6°C，仍有33.6%的人选择外出。老年人的热敏感性显著低于非老年人。两组在高温下均表现出较高的热可接受性，且无显著差异。对于老年人来说，80%热可接受性对应的标准有效温度为32.4°C，90%可接受性对应的标准有效温度为25.7°C。这种高可接受性可能归因于他们户外活动意愿所驱动的心理适应。
