For Your Child

U.VA. SAFEKIDS Program Offers New Line of Defense Against Heat Illnesses

It's hot outside; do you know how well your child is Picture of two young girls, smiling hydrated? The University of Virginia Health System Pediatric Emergency Department estimates that it treats an average of 70 children each summer for heat related illnesses during participation in both organized and "pick-up" sports activities. With average summer temperatures in the Charlottesville area ranging from 80 to 90 degrees, prolonged, outdoor activities can become dangerous.

In an attempt to keep our children safe, U.Va.'s SAFE KIDS - Thomas Jefferson District has created an outreach program under a national awareness campaign called Defeat the Heat, to help coaches and parents prevent dehydration in children this summer. SAFEKIDS will provide a voice-mail "HEATline" that will be updated daily with information regarding heat and relative humidity, guidelines to prevent dehydration and suggestions for appropriate activity level and sportswear. The phone numbers, 243-7207, for local calls and 1-866-268-1472, for toll free calls, will last through October.

Training for Sports in Summer Is Challenging
With summer's hot, humid days we must be aware of the dangers of heat-related illnesses in children. "Especially during the summer heat, dehydration and heat-related illness are ongoing threats to active kids," said Heather Paul, Ph.D., the executive director of the National SAFE KIDS Campaign. Children are more vulnerable to heat-related illness than adults because they absorb more heat from their environment and cannot dissipate the heat through sweat as quickly. Helping your child defeat the heat will drastically reduce their chances of suffering from serious heat-related conditions such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Hydration is Key

What type of warning signs should you look for? Thirst, headache, fatigue, dizziness, and irritability are common signs of dehydration, which can lead to a more serious heat related condition. This is why drinking enough of the right fluids is the best defense against heat illness. Make sure your child is drinking before, during and after activity to replace what they have lost through sweat. Furthermore, studies have shown that kids will only drink about 50 percent of what they need when drinking water. By giving your child a lightly flavored sports drink with a small amount of sodium, like Gatorade, you will encourage them to drink 90 percent more than water to stay better hydrated and fully replace what they have lost through sweat.

Other Important Factors

In addition, parents should take a few other steps to safeguard their young athlete and make prevention possible. First make sure child athletes are dressed in light-colored, loose clothing. When attending sports camps and tournaments, where numerous games take place throughout the day, make sure children get enough time to rest, drink fluids and spend time in the shade. Be especially cautious during soccer, basketball, and lacrosse games that require almost constant movement. Finally, send kids to practices and games with fluids in hand.

How Does It Work?

The "HEATline" will provide guidance to coaches and parents who often must rely on their "best guess" when preparing water bottles and sports drinks for children. The HEATline is hoping to make it easier to plan youth sports participation in the Charlottesville-Albemarle area this summer and require fewer emergency medical visits for dehydration.

To determine the climatic heat stress, the Wet Bulb Global Temperature (WBGT) will be calculated twice a day from readings taken at the Charlottesville/Albemarle Regional Airport. Wet Bulb Global Temperature is the gold standard for measuring heat stress and is derived from a weighted average of dry bulb, wet bulb, and black globe temperatures. Readings will determine the "color" of the day's heat alert. The WBGT will be associated with a flag color system (white, green, yellow, red or black); will indicate the recommended activity level according to the WBGT. A similar system has been used throughout the military in an effort to prevent heat illness for the past 15 years.

For example, a day with WBGT of 76 degrees Fahrenheit will be green for normal activity with hydration suggested every 20 minutes. A WBGT of 88 degrees Fahrenheit will be black, indicating a need to cancel all outdoor exercise.

Flag Guidelines


Wet Bulb Global Temperature Reading	Flag Color	Activity, Hydration & Sports Wear Guidelines
<75.0°F	White	Normal Activity. Drink throughout the day for full hydration.
75.0°F – 79.0°F	Green	Normal Activity. Take longer rest periods in the shade. Drink 3-9 oz. every 20 min. of activity. Wear weather appropriate clothing.
79.1°F – 82.0°F	Yellow	Limit intense exercise to 2 hrs, limit total outdoor exercise to 4 hrs. Use discretion in planning intense physical activity. Rest after 20-25 min. of activity. Light summer-weight clothing. Hydrate regularly 3-9 oz. every 20 min. of activity. Pay special attention to at risk individuals
82.1°F – 85.0°F	Red	Limit intense exercise to 1 hr, limit total outdoor exercise to 3 hrs. Rest after 15-20 min. of activity. Hydrate regularly 3-9 oz. every 20 min. of activity. Wear as little clothing as possible and remove excess equipment, which increases body heat to body. Be on high alert: watch for early signs and symptoms. Consider moving activity to early or late in the day .
>85°F	Black	Cancel all outdoor exercise involving physical exertion. Practice should be held in an air-conditioned space. If the event cannot be cancelled, postponed or rescheduled then use extreme caution because the risk of heat illness is very high. Closely monitor for signs and symptoms of heat illness and withdraw any athletes who show signs or symptoms.
These guidelines are based on a reading combining heat and humidity and summaries approaches for the prevention of the detrimental effects of children’s activities in hot or humid. Adapted from the American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on Sports Medicine and Fitness. Wet Bulb Global Temperature is not air temperature and may vary upon location.

This project is a combined effort between SAFE KIDS-Thomas Jefferson District, U.Va. Children's Medical Center, U.Va. Pediatrics Emergency Medicine, U.Va. Athletics, U.Va. Division of Sports Medicine and the Charlottesville-Albemarle Rescue Squad.

For more information, please call (434) 434-243-5862.