ReviewA systematic review of guidelines for the prevention of heat illness in community-based sports participants and officials
Section snippets
Background
Physical activity for reasons of occupation or recreational exercise in hot and humid environments can lead to serious harm from dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke1, 2, 3. The maintenance of optimal physical output requires that body temperature be regulated within relatively narrow limits1. Work or sports participation in the heat for long periods can lead to progressive heat illness, which is associated with impaired physical and mental performance4.
Guidelines are therefore required
Method
The research team conducted a systematic review of eligible guidelines related to preventing heat illness during sports participation. The objectives of the systematic review were to identify relevant secondary evidence (guidelines) regarding the prevention of injury related to sports participation and sports management in the heat, to evaluate the methodological quality of the available evidence, and to synthesise the guideline recommendations into a framework of advice. A stakeholder
Included evidence and its quality
Thirteen guidelines19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 were included in this review (five related to sports and eight related to occupations) (see Table 1). This table provides the publication details and the evidence sources on which each guideline is based. A further 32 guidelines were identified by the search, but were excluded from analysis (22 related to sports, and 10 to occupation). The excluded guidelines are listed in Appendix A with the reasons for exclusion, the most
Discussion
Extreme heat conditions around the world are commonly associated with reports of heat illness in sports participants and officials.2, 3, 4 In their preambles, the guidelines considered in this review all suggest that the likelihood for heat illness should be predictable, and that the illness is preventable if appropriate precautions are taken. This systematic review of currently available full text, fully referenced guidelines for prevention of heat illness in sports participants and officials
Conclusion
This review provides recommendations regarding prevention of heat illness in sports participants and officials that are based on current best available guideline evidence. Given the international sources of underpinning the guidelines included in this review, these recommendations are applicable to sports participants and officials in hot weather in any country around the world. The synthesised recommendations from this review have been disseminated by Sports Medicine Australia in South
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