title: Novel Analytic Methods Needed for Real-Time Continuous Core Body Temperature Data.
abstract: Affordable measurement of core body temperature (Tc) in a continuous, real-time fashion is now possible. With this advance comes a new data analysis paradigm for occupational epidemiology. We characterize issues arising after obtaining Tcdata over 188 workdays for 83 participating farmworkers, a population vulnerable to effects of rising temperatures due to climate change. We describe a novel approach to these data using smoothing and functional data analysis. This approach highlights different data aspects compared with describing Tcat a single time point or summaries of the time course into an indicator function (e.g., did Tcever exceed 38 °C, the threshold limit value for occupational heat exposure). Participants working in ferneries had significantly higher Tcat some point during the workday compared with those working in nurseries, despite a shorter workday for fernery participants. Our results typify the challenges and opportunities in analyzing Big Data streams from real-time physiologic monitoring.
authors.affiliation: 1 Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Vicki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hertzberg
authors.affiliation: 1 Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mac
authors.affiliation: 1 Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Elon
authors.affiliation: 1 Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mutic
authors.affiliation: 1 Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Abby
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mutic
authors.affiliation: 1 Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Peterman
authors.affiliation: 2 Farmworkers Association of Florida, Apopka, FL, USA.
authors.forename: J Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Tovar-Aguilar
authors.affiliation: 2 Farmworkers Association of Florida, Apopka, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Eugenia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Economos
authors.affiliation: 3 University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Flocks
authors.affiliation: 1 Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: McCauley
keywords: LOESS; core body temperature; farmworker; functional data analysis; heat stress; heat-related illness; occupational epidemiology; smoothing