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Solar radiation and the validity of infrared tympanic temperature during exercise in the heat

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Abstract

We investigated the validity of infrared tympanic temperature (IR-Tty) during exercise in the heat with variations in solar radiation. Eight healthy males completed stationary cycling trials at 70% peak oxygen uptake until exhaustion in an environmental chamber maintained at 30°C with 50% relative humidity. Three solar radiation conditions, 0, 250 and 500 W/m2, were tested using a ceiling-mounted solar simulator (metal-halide lamps) over a 3 × 2 m irradiated area. IR-Tty and rectal temperature (Tre) were similar before and during exercise in each trial (P > 0.05). Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (rs) demonstrated very strong (250 W/m2, rs = 0.87) and strong (0 W/m2, rs = 0.73; 500 W/m2, rs = 0.78) correlations between IR-Tty and Tre in all trials (P < 0.001). A Bland-Altman plot showed that mean differences (SD; 95% limits of agreement; root mean square error) between IR-Tty and Tre were − 0.11°C (0.46; − 1.00 to 0.78°C; 0.43 ± 0.16°C) in 0 W/m2, − 0.13°C (0.32; − 0.77 to 0.50°C; 0.32 ± 0.10°C) in 250 W/m2 and − 0.03°C (0.60; − 1.21 to 1.14°C; 0.46 ± 0.27°C) in 500 W/m2. A positive correlation was found in 500 W/m2 (rs = 0.51; P < 0.001) but not in 250 W/m2 (rs = 0.04; P = 0.762) and 0 W/m2 (rs = 0.04; P = 0.732), indicating a greater elevation in IR-Tty than Tre in 500 W/m2. Percentage of target attainment within ± 0.3°C between IR-Tty and Tre was higher in 250 W/m2 (100 ± 0%) than 0 (93 ± 7%) and 500 (90 ± 10%; P < 0.05) W/m2. IR-Tty is acceptable for core temperature monitoring during exercise in the heat when solar radiation is ≤ 500 W/m2, and its accuracy increases when solar radiation is 250 W/m2 under our study conditions.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the participants who gave their time and effort to participate in the present study.

Funding

This study was funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science KAKENHI (grant number 26870759).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Health Care Sciences, Himeji Dokkyo University, 7-2-1 Kamiono, Himeji, Hyogo, 670-8524, Japan

    Hidenori Otani

  2. Hyogo University of Health Sciences, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan

    Mitsuharu Kaya & Akira Tamaki

  3. Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan

    Yuri Hosokawa

  4. Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Jason K. W. Lee

  5. Global Asia Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Jason K. W. Lee

  6. N.1 Institute for Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Jason K. W. Lee

Authors
  1. Hidenori Otani
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  2. Mitsuharu Kaya
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  3. Akira Tamaki
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  4. Yuri Hosokawa
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  5. Jason K. W. Lee
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Correspondence to Hidenori Otani.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Otani, H., Kaya, M., Tamaki, A. et al. Solar radiation and the validity of infrared tympanic temperature during exercise in the heat. Int J Biometeorol 64, 39–45 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-019-01791-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-019-01791-1

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