Exploring the risk of heat stress in high school pre-season sports training, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Abstract

There is growing concern over the increased risk of heat stress induced by the changing climate, with increased global temperatures expected to exacerbate conditions. Heat stress in school sports is a critically understudied research area in South Africa (SA). As demonstrated by several studies conducted in the global north, the stress elicited by meteorological conditions on students participating in physical education lessons and after-school sports activities could have serious consequences on their health. This paper represents the first research in the region to investigate the risk of heat stress to school students during physical activity. Meteorological data were collected at a school in Johannesburg between March and July, which encompasses the seasons of late summer, autumn, and winter. These were inputted into four heat stress indices: Humidex, Heat Index, Wet Bulb Globe Temperature, and the Universal Thermal Climate Index, together with the measured Wet Bulb Temperature to determine the level of risk of heat stress during physical education lessons and after-school sports activities between March and July. Of the 2700 index scores calculated over this period, 56% indicate some level of heat stress, with almost 6% indicating a high and very high level of risk. Heat stress is calculated to be most likely to occur between 11h00-15h00, and the danger of pre-season training, which takes place in the summer months, is demonstrated by these results. Additionally, this research finds that heat stress is far more likely on artificial surfaces than on natural grass. The findings of this research intimate that school stakeholders should consider the implications of heat stress when considering timetabling and policy-making in the interests of safeguarding their students.