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Finger skin temperatures in 8- to 11-year-old children: determinants including physical characteristics and seasonal variation. The Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children (PANIC) Study

European Journal of Applied Physiology volume 116, pages 405–413 (2016)Cite this article

Abstract

Purpose

The fingertip skin temperature (FST) reflects skin blood flow, and FST measurement has been suggested for the investigation of vascular responses. As a limitation, the multifactorial nature and the seasonal variation in measured values have been earlier described in adults but not in children. In the present study, we identify the modifiers of FST in a population sample of Finnish children.

Methods

FST was measured in children (age range 8–11 years, n = 432) with infrared thermometer, and its possible determinants including the subjects’ physical characteristics and seasonal variables, such as daylight time and outdoor temperature, were identified.

Results

In univariate regression models, FST was dependent on the sex, age and anthropometric characteristics of the children with the higher body fat content-related variables and a lower surface area-to-mass ratio as strongest single modifiers of FST. There was interaction between sex and puberty with FST. In addition, FST was directly related to daylight time and outdoor temperature although the children had stayed inside for at least 2 h before the measurements. The FST values were lowest in the winter and highest in the summer. In multivariate regression model, main determinants of FST were a higher body fat percentage (standardized regression coefficient β = 0.472; p < 0.001), male sex (β = 0.291; p < 0.001) and longer daylight time (0.226; p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Altogether, complex effects of body composition and sex with the confounding effect of seasonal variation may complicate the use of FST as a tool to study the vascular function in children.

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Abbreviations

FST:

Fingertip skin temperature

SDS:

Standard deviation scores

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to all children and their parents participating in the PANIC Study. We are also indebted to the members of the PANIC research team for their skillful contribution in performing the study.

Financial support

This work was financially supported by Grants from Ministry of Social Affairs and Health of Finland, Ministry of Education and Culture of Finland, Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra, Social Insurance Institution of Finland, Finnish Cultural Foundation, Juho Vainio Foundation, Foundation for Paediatric Research, Paavo Nurmi Foundation, Diabetes Research Foundation, Research Committee of the Kuopio University Hospital Catchment Area (State Research Funding), Kuopio University Hospital (EVO funding number 5031343) and the City of Kuopio.

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Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biomedicine, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211, Kuopio, Finland

    Nina Zaproudina, Matti Närhi, Aapo Veijalainen & Timo A. Lakka

  2. Institute of Dentistry, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211, Kuopio, Finland

    Nina Zaproudina & Matti Närhi

  3. Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital and University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211, Kuopio, Finland

    Tomi Laitinen

Authors
  1. Nina Zaproudina
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  2. Matti Närhi
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  3. Aapo Veijalainen
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Correspondence to Nina Zaproudina.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

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

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study and their parents.

Additional information

Communicated by Narihiko Kondo.

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Zaproudina, N., Närhi, M., Veijalainen, A. et al. Finger skin temperatures in 8- to 11-year-old children: determinants including physical characteristics and seasonal variation. The Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children (PANIC) Study. Eur J Appl Physiol 116, 405–413 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-015-3297-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-015-3297-3

Keywords

  • Children
  • Body fat content
  • Skin blood flow
  • Fingertip skin temperature
  • Seasonal variation