Mason, Hannah M., King, Jemma C., Peden, Amy E., Leicht, Anthony S., and Franklin, Richard C. (2024) The impact of extreme heat on mass-gathering sporting events: Implications for Australia and other countries. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. (In Press)

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Abstract

Objectives: As temperatures increase across the globe due to climate change, human exposure to extreme heat is a public health challenge. During sporting events, athletes, officials, spectators, and staff are at risk of heat stress and resulting illness. The objective of this review was to explore the impact of heat on the health outcomes of these groups and the wider health system and discuss implications for outdoor mass-gathering sporting events in Australia.

Design: A systematic review was undertaken to identify literature published from 2010 to 2023.

Methods: Seven databases were searched: Web of Science, SportDiscus, Scopus, Medline, CINAHL, Emcare, and PsychInfo, for relevant key search terms such as heatwave, heat stress, extreme heat, stadium, arena, sports facilit*, sport, athletic, and Olympic. An inductive thematic analysis was undertaken. Articles were quality checked using Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tools and data were extracted, tabulated, and synthesized.

Results: Forty papers were included in the final analysis: 17 quantitative, and 23 descriptive and qualitative (including reviews). Health outcomes explored across the literature included exertional heat illness, exertional heat stroke, hyperthermia, and general heat related illness. Six recommendation themes emerged: planning, mitigation strategies, medical, policy, research, and education.

Conclusions: The impact of heat on health outcomes during sporting events is significant, and should be considered by individuals, coaches, officials, and organizers before, during, and after mass-gathering sporting events. These findings can inform evidence-based preparedness strategies to protect the health of those attending and competing in mass-gathering sporting events now and into the future.

Item ID:	83001
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1440-2440
Keywords:	Sport, Heatwaves, Exercise, Climate change, Disaster
Copyright Information:	© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Sports Medicine Australia. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/)
Date Deposited:	20 Jun 2024 02:40
FoR Codes:	52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5201 Applied and developmental psychology > 520107 Sport and exercise psychology @ 100%
SEO Codes:	20 HEALTH > 2099 Other health > 209999 Other health not elsewhere classified @ 100%
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