Effects of barefoot habituation in winter on thermal and hormonal responses in young children--a preliminary study.
This study investigated how socks-wearing habit or habitual barefoot in the cold winter affected skin temperatures of distal lower extremities, the urinary excretion of adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortsisol in young children. In Experiment I for preschool children, the measurements of foot and leg skin temperatures were conducted for 30 min in the classroom controlled at 23+/-2 degres C and 50+/-5%RH, and the excretion of urinary catecholamines and cortisol during nocturnal sleep were analyzed. In Experiment II for elementary school children, nocturnal secretion of urinary catecholamines and cortisol was analyzed. While leg skin temperature tended to be lower in barefoot group than in socks group during Experiment I, foot skin temperature was not significantly different between the two groups. Fall of leg skin temperature during 30 min measurement tended to be smaller in barefoot group than in socks group. Urine volume and urinary excretion of cortisol tended to be greater in barefoot group than in socks group for preschool children. Urinary noradrenaline was significantly greater and cortisol tended to be greater in barefoot group than in socks group for elementary school children. Considering that most of the findings shown above were in the proximity of the established level of statistical significance, it was provisionally concluded that young children with barefoot habituation might show more effective cold adaptation of metabolic type than those without the habituation do, by keeping their skin temperatures higher even in the cold and enhancing the metabolic rate.
Park
Shin-Jung
SJ
Dept. of Fashion Design, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 110-745, Korea.
Kikufuji
Nori
N
Hyun
Ki-Ja
KJ
Tokura
Hiromi
H
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D002395:Catecholamines / Q000652:urine*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003020:Clothing; D003080:Cold Temperature; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000652:urine*; D005528:Foot / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000652:urine*; D007564:Japan; D007866:Leg / Q000502:physiology; D012621:Seasons; D012881:Skin Temperature / Q000502:physiology*
D002395:Catecholamines; D006854:Hydrocortisone; D004837:Epinephrine