Comparison of wet bulb globe temperature measured on-site vs estimated and the impact on activity modification in high school football

Exertional heat stroke is one of the top three causes of death in young athletes, particularly high school football players. Despite evidence that these deaths are completely avoidable with appropriate prevention and treatment, deaths still occur at an alarming rate. Wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of biometeorology 2020-04, Vol.64 (4), p.593-600
Main Authors: Tripp, Brady, Vincent, Heather K, Bruner, Michelle, Smith, Michael Seth
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal Physiology
Athletes
Biological and Medical Physics
Biophysics
Earth and Environmental Science
Environment
Environmental Health
Fatalities
Florida
Football
Heat Stress Disorders
Heat stroke
High school football
Hot Temperature
Meteorology
Monitors
Onsite
Original Paper
Plant Physiology
Protective equipment
Secondary schools
Smartphones
Soccer
Sports medicine
Temperature
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Summary:Exertional heat stroke is one of the top three causes of death in young athletes, particularly high school football players. Despite evidence that these deaths are completely avoidable with appropriate prevention and treatment, deaths still occur at an alarming rate. Wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) is the preferred method of both the National Athletic Trainers’ Association and American College of Sports Medicine to measure heat intensity. Based on the WBGT, activity modification guidelines (AMG) dictate work-to-rest ratios, activity levels and duration, protective equipment worn, and length and frequency of hydration breaks. Due to the cost of handheld WBGT monitors, smartphone apps that estimate WBGT have been considered an alternative. However, it is unclear how WBGT values estimated by these smartphone apps compare to those measured on-site using handheld WBGT monitors. We compared WBGT values estimated by a commercial smartphone app to those taken on-site at the same time and place. Thirteen athletic trainers measured WBGT in the field during high school football practices over a three-month season in North Central Florida. A paired sample t-test indicated the smartphone app significantly overestimated WBGT (29.0°C ± 4.1°C) compared to on-site measures (26.4°C ± 3.2°C) ( r =0.580; t(943)=-23.38, p
ISSN:0020-7128
1432-1254
DOI:10.1007/s00484-019-01847-2