Comparison of Behavioral Thermoregulatory Responses and Self-identified Heat Tolerance in Summer between Elderly Males and Females for Developing Guidelines Related to Heatwave

This study was conducted to investigate behavioral thermoregulatory responses and self-identified thermal tolerance in summer for elderly males and females. A total of 259 older people participated in this survey: 121 males (76.2±6.7 yr in age) and 138 females (79.2±6.7 yr in age). A questionnaire with 29 questions was used and the questions consisted of self-identified heat and cold tolerances, wearing habits, lifestyles related to the heat, and demographic characteristics. There was no difference in the number of clothes outdoor between older males (5.3±0.9 items) and females (5.5±1.0 items) but older females wore higher number of clothes at home and during sleep compared to older males (P0.01). Older males preferred to wear clothes cooler than older females when they are inside an airconditioned building or vehicle (P0.05). Respondents with vulnerable self-identified heat tolerance were 3.4 times higher than those with invulnerable self-identified heat tolerance while no difference was found between vulnerable and invulnerable self-identified cold tolerances. Only females had correlations between self-identified heat tolerance and wearing habit preferences related to thermal sensation for going out (r=0.343), at home (r=0.334) and during sleep (r=0.328) (P0.01). Anthropometric variables had no correlations with self-identified heat tolerance. Sex difference should be considered when developing the guidelines for the elderly’s behavioral thermoregulation in summer and advising them for improving their health and heat tolerance.