An Observational Study on the Individual Thermal Sensations, Skin Temperatures and Their Relationship with Exercise Experiences

Abstract

Thermal sensation is influenced by both individual and environmental factors. However, it is unknown which individual factors are significant to determine thermal sensation of humans. The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between the thermal sensations, skin temperatures and individual factors such as exercise experiences by observational methods. 334 young examinees who entered Tokyo Metropolitan University in 2003 cooperated with these experiments during the classes of physical education. Interview and questionnaire on individual factors (gender, exercise experiences, climates in the past-to-present habitations and thermal sensation votes) of examinees, taking thermal infrared images of them and meteorological observations were conducted in the gymnasium of the university in the seven days. To evaluate the relationship with exercise experiences, obtained data were divided into 3 categories, i.e., (1) no exercise experiences in schools, (2) experiences until the end of junior high school, and (3) experiences until the end of high school or still getting exercise. The following results were obtained.