Exercise Thermoregulation in Prepubertal Children: A Brief Methodological Review

Prepubertal children (6-12 yr) differ from adults in various morphological and physiological factors that may influence thermoregulatory function; however, experimental evidence of meaningful child-adult differences in heat strain during exercise-heat stress is sparse, despite numerous studies. Although we appreciate the challenges associated with performing such comparisons, part of that discrepancy may be due to the methods used. Nonetheless, a focused discussion of these methodological considerations and their implications for current understanding remains unavailable. This is an important knowledge gap given the threat to health posed by rising global temperatures and the ongoing focus on improving physical activity levels in children. The aims of this methodological review were, therefore, to (i) review the theoretical basis for child-adult differences in thermoregulatory function, (ii) describe previous comparisons of exercise thermoregulation between prepubertal children and adults, (iii) discuss two methodological issues associated with that research, which, in our view, make it difficult to present empirical evidence related to child-adult differences in thermoregulatory function and associated heat strain, (iv) provide potential solutions to these issues, and (v) propose pertinent areas for further research.