The impact of indoor and outdoor heat extremes on schoolchildren

Exposure to extreme heat both indoors and outdoors can negatively influence school students in alternative ways via cardiovascular, thermoregulation, thermal discomfort, cognitive and hydration impairments. Left untreated, this can lead to a variety of heat illnesses and impaired learning during schooling. For those based indoors, school children can be exposed to over one-third of their time inside school classrooms or buildings which can impact upon the levels of thermal comfort levels from occupancy rates, levels of sunlight and the amount of airflow. For those students that will participate in movement activities outdoors and involving higher intensity (and heart rates), the risks of harmful exposure to heat influences are also raised. This chapter will therefore showcase an emerging area of research into how school children internationally can be impacted by both indoor and outdoor heat extremes.