Study of Ambient Temperature Effects on Thermoregulation During Moderate Exercise in Children, Youth, and Young Adults

What This Trial Is About

Researchers are studying how children and youth regulate their body temperature during exercise compared to young adults, focusing on different environmental temperatures. The goal is to understand whether differences in whole-body heat exchange affect their responses to heat stress during moderate-intensity exercise. This research involves healthy males and females aged 9 to 16 years and young adults aged 20 to 25 years. Participants will complete four separate exercise sessions at ambient temperatures of 22C 72F, 26C 79F, 31C 88F, and 36C 97F. In each session, they will perform four 15-minute bouts of moderate-intensity exercise, each separated by 15-minute rest periods, while maintaining a consistent metabolic heat production. Exercise workload will be adjusted individually, and testing takes place in a specialized chamber called a whole-body air calorimeter that measures heat loss and storage. During the study, researchers will monitor core temperature, heart rate, skin temperature, heat loss through evaporation and dry heat exchange, body heat storage, and thermal sensation at the end of each exercise bout. These measures will help determine how increasing temperature affects the bodys ability to lose heat and how this differs between children, youth, and young adults. Participation involves attending four exercise visits across different temperatures, and the study is expected to end in mid-2027.

Ambient Temperature and Thermoregulation During Exercise in Children and Youth