IMPACT OF ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE VARIATIONS ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

IMPACT of atmospheric temperature variationS

on physical activity

DR.Titto Cherian

tittocherian@gmail.com

Faculty in Physical Education, Patriarch Ignatius Zakka-I Training College, Puthencruz, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala.

Abstract

Daily physical activity is an important and deciding factor of health, even too many people found to be inactive. It is all the more important to find the causes of barriers of greater participation is necessary to overcome this issue. Among various causes, weather found to be as a perceived barrier to participation in physical activity, but exactly which adverse weather conditions are most important, and the extent to which they contribute to decreases in physical activity have rarely been quantified in populations. Limited studies have used publicly available databases to examine the quantitative effects of weather on physical activity in children, adolescents and adults (Leslie, 2002). This review examines our historical, emerging, quantitative understanding of how specific weather conditions affect physical activity.

Keywords: physical activity, exercise, weather, seasons.

Introduction

People, who are living in temperate climactic regions of the world, will have changes in their ambient weather conditions can affect physical activity. Varying temperatures, rain, snow or wind may put too much strain in engaging physical activities. On the other hand, participation in some activities, such as skiing, skating or swimming outdoors may be enhanced by specific weather patterns. Gaining an understanding of the relationship between weather and health-related variables such as physical activity has increased in importance with the rapid development of diseases for which physical inactivity is a risk factor. Furthermore, the negative effects of weather may interact with age, pre-existing disease conditions such as those named or others such as asthma, to exacerbate effects on physical activity. The weather cannot be changed, but knowledge of how weather conditions affect physical activity can help policy makers and providers of health care to adapt recommendations to look in to its adverse effects.

            Elements of the physical environment are considered to be powerful determinants of health behaviors, thereby influencing population health (Humpel, 2002) and have been categorized as “barriers”, “facilitating conditions” or “contextual influences” (Godin, 2007). In the context of health, the potential of both the natural (Brown, 2007) and built environments (Casagrande, 2009) to influence behavior is increasingly acknowledged and taken into account by urban planners and others (Kinney, 2007). The natural environment encompasses factors such as the terrain, vegetation and weather (Huston, 2007).

            Temperature control (thermoregulation) is part of a homeostatic mechanism that keeps the organism at optimum operating temperature, as it affects the rate of chemical reactions. In humans the average internal temperature is 37.0 °C (98.6 °F), though it varies among individuals. However, no person always has exactly the same temperature at every moment of the day. Temperatures cycle regularly up and down through the day, as controlled by the person's circadian rhythm. The lowest temperature occurs about two hours before the person normally wakes up. Additionally, temperatures change according to activities and external factors. In addition to varying throughout the day, normal body temperature may also differ as much as 0.5 °C (0.9 °F) from one day to the next, so that the highest or lowest temperatures on one day will not always exactly match the highest or lowest temperatures on the next day. Normal human body temperature varies slightly from person to person and by the time of day. Consequently, each type of measurement has a range of normal temperatures. The range for normal human body

Effects of Daily Weather Variation

            The  above review leads to the conclusion that the perceived negative effects of bad weather on physical activity are true, assuming that the strong evidence for a winter-related decrease are caused by weather-related variables and not by day-length. However, winter-related decreases in physical activity are noted across a variety of climactic zones, which suggests that other factors may also play a role. A relatively smaller body of literature now addresses the question of specifically what weather elements may account for reduced physical activity throughout the year.

Effects of seasons on Physical Activity

Using the four seasons as a surrogate provides clues as to which specific weather elements affect physical activity, measured semi-quantitatively by means of questionnaires or quantitatively with accelerometers or pedometers. From this body of work, the winter season in temperate climates is correlated with reduced physical activity.

Variations due to outside factors

Many outside factors affect the measured temperature as well. "Normal" values are generally given for an otherwise healthy, non-fasting adult, dressed comfortably, indoors, in a room that is kept at a normal room temperature (22.7 to 24.4 °C or 73 to 76 °F), during the morning, but not shortly after arising from sleep..

Temperature is increased after eating or drinking anything with calories. Exercise raises body temperatures. In adults, a noticeable increase usually requires strenuous exercise or exercise sustained over a significant time. Children develop higher temperatures with milder activities, like playing.

Conclusion

In the past decade, the ability to objectively measure both physical activity and correlate it with weather events has furthered our understanding of how the natural environmental can have an impact on activity and, potentially, on human health. Different strategies have been used to monitor the physical activity of individuals versus populations. Weather information is now readily obtainable from data repositories available from national weather services, which is often easily accessed on the internet, and can be correlated with physical activity in real time. To date, the number of published studies is small but in general the data confirm the perception that precipitation has the largest correlation with physical activity. This correlation is generally negative but snow may, in fact, increase physical activity in men. In addition to gender, body mass index, socioeconomic status, the purpose of the activity and the age of those observed have been identified as potential contributing factors. Epidemiologists should control for season and weather because they significantly affect physical activity in a variety of populations. Furthermore, all of the reports to date have been observational studies; thus, causation is inferred but not proven.

            Additional studies, conducted across a range of climactic zones, will be helpful in developing physical activity promotional materials and interventions that take the weather into account. Those developing physical activity interventions that utilize outdoor spaces and facilities need to consider how to counter-act the negative impact of precipitation; for example, by suggesting alternative indoor activities and emphasizing the need for protective clothing and proper footwear. Alternatives to walking, such as skating, snow-shoeing and cross-country skiing, can be promoted in cold climates to take advantage of the snow. Furthermore, the limited data suggesting that individuals in an intervention may be motivated to continue despite inclement weather merits further investigation as to how this potential can be maximized.

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