Abstract
To examine the effects of age-related differences in thermoregulatory function on the clothing microclimate temperature (T m) andT m fluctuations while maintaining thermal comfort in daily life, 5 boys (group B, 10–11 years), 5 young men (group Y, 20–21 years) and 5 older men (group O, 60–65 years) volunteered to take part in this study. The subjects were asked to maintain thermal comfort as closely as possible in their daily lives.T m (temperatures between the skin surface and the innermost garment) at four sites (chest, back, upper arm, and thigh), skin temperature on the chest (T chest) and ambient temperature (T a) were measured over a period of 8–12 h from morning to evening on one day in each of the seasons, spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Records of ability to maintain thermal comfort and of adjustment of their clothes were kept by each subject.T a during periods of thermal comfort did not differ among the groups in any of the seasons. In group Y,T m was significantly lower at the thigh than at the other sites in spring, autumn, and winter (P<0.05) and fluctuations (CV) ofT m were significantly larger at the thigh than at other sites in autumn and winter (P<0.05). Similar tendencies were observed forT m and CV ofT m in group B. However,T m and CV ofT m in group O did not differ by site except for the autumnT m. Group O had a smaller CV at the thigh in winter (P<0.05), compared to groups B and Y, suggesting a smaller regional difference inT m fluctuation in group O. Group O adjusted their clothes even on the lower limbs (together with upper body) in order to maintain thermal comfort in accordance with changes inT a, while groups B and Y did so only on their upper bodies. These results sugest that compared to boys and young men, lower thermoregulatory function in older men may affectT m and CV ofT m as a result of clothing on lower limbs being adjusted differently in order to maintain thermal comfort.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anderson RK, Kenney WL (1987) Effect of age on heat-activated sweat gland density and flow during exercise in dry heat. J Appl Physiol 63:1089–1094
Araki T, Inoue Y (1982) Effect of lightly dressing on the thermoregulatory function in children: as considered from standpoint of cold contraction. Jpn J School Health 24:344–350 (in Japanese)
Araki T, Toda Y, Matsushita K, Tsujino A (1979) Age differences in sweating during muscular exercise. J Physiol Fitness Jpn 28:239–248
Araki T, Inoue Y, Umeno K (1980a) Effects of physical training on thermoregulatory responses to alternate stress of heat and cold. J Physical Fitness Jpn 29:75–81
Araki T, Tsujita J, Matsushita K, Hori S (1980b) Thermoregulatory responses of prepubertal boys to heat and cold in relation to physical fitness. J Human Ergol 9:69–80
Davies CTM (1981) Thermal responses to exercise in children. Ergonomics 24:55–61
Delamarche P, Bittel J, Lacour JR, Flandrois R (1990) Thermoregulation at rest and during exercise in prepubertal boys. Eur J Appl Physiol 60:436–440
Drinkwater BL, Bedi JF, Loucks AB, Horvath SM (1982) Sweating sensitivity and capacity of women in relation to age. J Appl Physiol 53:671–676
Falk B, Bar-Or O, Smolander J, Frost G (1994) Response to rest and exercise in the cold: effects of age and aerobic fitness. J Appl Physiol 76:72–78
Fujimoto S, Watanabe T (1969) Studies on the body surface area of Japanese. Acta Med Nagasaki 13:1–13
Hanada K, Mihira K, Kamisasa H (1982) The effect of unevenly distributed thermal stimuli on the sensation of warmth and coolness. Appl Ergonom 13:49–53
Hellon RF, Lind AR (1956) Observations on the activity of sweat glands with special reference to the influence of aging. J Physiol (Lond) 133:132–144
Inoue Y, Nakao M, Murakami H, Araki T (1991) Regional differences in the sweating responses of older and younger men. J Appl Physiol 71:2453–2459
Inoue Y, Nakao M, Araki T, Ueda H (1992) Thermoregulatory responses of young and older men to cold exposure. Eur J Appl Physiol 65:492–496
Inoue Y, Nakao M, Okudaira S, Ueda H, Araki T (1995a) Seasonal variation in sweating responses of older and younger men. Eur J Appl Physiol 70:6–12
Inoue Y, Nakao M, Ueda H, Araki T (1995b) Seasonal variation in physiological responses to mild cold air in young and older men. Int J Biometeorol 38:131–136
Inoue Y, Araki T, Tsujita J (1996) Thermoregulatory responses of prepubertal boys and young men in changing temperature linearly from 28 to 15° C. Eur J Appl Physiol 72:204–208
Li X, Tokura H (1996) The effects of two types of clothing on seasonal heat tolerance. Eur J Appl Physiol 72:287–291
Li X, Tokura H, Midorikawa T (1994a) The effects of two different types of clothing on seasonal cold acclimation of thermophysiological responses. Int J Biometeorol 38:40–43
Li X, Tokura H, Midorikawa T (1994b) The effects of two types of clothing on seasonal cold tolerance. Eur J Appl Physiol 69:498–501
Li X, Tokura H, Midorikawa T (1995) The effects of two different types of clothing on seasonal warm acclimation. Int J Biometeorol 38:111–115
Maruyama Y, Tamura T (1989) Responses of skin temperature and thermal sensation to unevenly distributed thermal stimuli. Jpn J Biometeor 26:143–154 (in Japanese)
Sagawa S, Shiraki K, Yousef MK, Miki K (1988) Sweating and cardiovascular responses of aged men to heat exposure. J Gerontol 43:M1–8
Shiraishi T, Araki T (1990) Comparative study on thermoregulation under heat exposure between children and adults: with special reference to sweating and skin temperature reactions. Jpn J School Health 32:134–143 (in Japanese)
Shvartz E, Aldjem M, Ben-Mordechai J, Shapiro Y (1974) Objective approach to a design of a whole-body, water-cooled suit. Aerospace Med 45:711–715
Stevens JG, Marks LE, Simonson DG (1974) Regional sensitivity and spatial summation in the warmth sense. Physiol Behav 13:825–836
Smolander J, Bar-Or O, Korhonen O, Ilmarinen J (1992) Thermoregulation during rest and exercise in the cold in pre- and early pubescent boys and in young men. J Appl Physiol 72:1589–1594
Ueda H, Araki T (1989) The regional differences in the relationship between thermal sensation and skin temperature for young adult males. Jpn J Clo Res 33:15–23
Vokac Z, Kopke V, Keul P (1971) Effect of cooling of peripheral parts of the body on general thermal comfort. Textile Res J 41:827–833
Wagner JA, Horvath SM (1985) Influences of age and gender on human thermoregulatory responses to cold exposures. J Appl Physiol 58:180–186
Wagner JA, Robinson S, Marino RP (1974) Age and temperature regulation of humans in neutral and cold environments. J Appl Physiol 37:562–565
Yanagi M, Park Soon JA, Araki T (1987) Experimental studies on daily clothing habits which may lead to improvements in health. Jpn J Clo Res 31:18–31
Yousef MK, Dill DB, Vitez TS, Hillyard SD, Goldman AS (1984) Thermoregulatory responses to desert heat: age, race and sex. J Gerontol 39:406–414
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ueda, H., Inoue, Y., Araki, T. et al. Clothing microclimate temperatures during thermal comfort in boys, young and older men. Int J Biometeorol 39, 127–132 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01211224
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01211224