How heat waves affect the emotional well-being of children and adolescents
Heat waves have significant effects on the health and well-being of the population, especially the most vulnerable, such as the elderly or children. Due to their physiological characteristics, these population groups are more susceptible to the effects of extreme heat and more prone to dehydration, heat exhaustion and heatstroke. Children cannot always clearly express their feelings of heat or discomfort and may have difficulty identifying and communicating that they are hot, which can delay taking measures to reduce exposure to extreme temperatures. They also tend to be more physically active, which increases internal heat production and can make it difficult to regulate body temperature, especially in conditions of extreme heat.
Children and adolescents spend a large part of their day in classrooms and playgrounds in educational centers. With the increase in episodes of extreme heat, schools are faced with the challenge of ensuring a resilient environment in the face of its negative effects. This is the topic on which ISGlobal Barcelona researcher Mònica Ubalde reflects at the Sant Joan de Déu School of Health . According to Ubalde, it is urgent to plan and invest resources in effective and sustainable measures to mitigate the effects of heat waves in educational centers, which are "crucial spaces for guaranteeing the health, well-being, development and learning of children and adolescents, as well as healthy and safe working conditions for teachers."
Impact on well-being and learning
Schools , in general, are the only public buildings that are not equipped or adapted for optimal thermal comfort. Many of the buildings are old and have deficiencies in insulation, since they were built at a time when they were supposed to be empty during the months of high temperatures, and are oriented to the south to gain light and heat in winter. However, the months in which temperatures exceed 28ºC in classrooms in recent years have gone from two to the five expected for this school year.
In recent years, we have gone from two months in which temperatures exceed 28ºC in classrooms to the five expected for this school year.
Learning, playing and working in conditions of extreme and sustained temperatures not only has effects on physical health but is also worrying for the effects on the well-being and emotional health of students and staff who carry out their activity in risky working conditions. In the article, the researcher highlights that, in addition to the already known effects on physical health, the stress caused by high temperatures can cause irritability , fatigue and general malaise , which can influence their mood and behavior in school and social activities.
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In addition, it is clear that extreme heat in classrooms can have effects on children's cognitive development , making schoolwork more difficult, as it affects concentration and focus, the ability to process and retain information, and children's overall classroom and academic performance. Studies have indicated that during the hottest hours of the day, high temperatures can affect cognitive function, including working memory, decision-making, and the execution of complex tasks.
What can educational centers do?
The article makes a series of recommendations to educational centers for measures to mitigate the effects of heatstroke. The adaptation of schools to climate change , as spaces for pedagogical use and workplaces, represents an opportunity and a necessity to increase the adaptation and resilience of cities to the effects of climate change.
The emotional well-being of educational professionals and the organization of work
Renaturalization of schools
Renaturalizing schools can help combat the effects of heat waves in several ways. The incorporation of vegetation and permeable soil can help reduce this effect and maintain lower temperatures in the school environment. By creating green spaces and using vegetation, shade can be provided and the ambient temperature can be reduced, acting as natural barriers against excessive heating and offering cool places for children and teachers and providing opportunities for physical activity and outdoor learning, restoring the connection with nature.
Natural spaces in schools create a calm and relaxing environment that promotes learning and helps reduce stress related to extreme temperatures. Vegetation also helps filter and purify the air, improving air quality in the school environment. This is especially important during heat waves, when air pollution can be higher.
On the other hand, good air conditioning in buildings is necessary to ensure that classrooms and common spaces are suitable to face extreme temperatures, implementing effective and sustainable solutions. It is essential to ensure good air circulation in classrooms to guarantee good indoor environmental quality and thermal comfort.
Emergency measures
Finally, there are actions that can also help protect health, alleviate the feeling of discomfort and provide a respite for the educational community that the researcher proposes, such as:
- Adjust class schedules to avoid the hottest hours.
- Plan alternative activities indoors.
- Avoid more insolated interior spaces of the school or the suspension of classes during periods of extreme heat.
These measures are proposed as emergency measures , but they should not be the norm.
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