Sex differences and body morphology on thermal discomfort thresholds during rest and exercise

Thermal comfort can be broadly defined as a scenario where an individual expresses satisfaction with their thermal environment. However, our thermal environment is rarely constant, and these changes in our thermal environment can negatively affect our thermal comfort. Additionally, a certain thermal environment can be comfortable for one person but uncomfortable for another, because our size, sex, previous experiences, fitness, and preferences all vary. Therefore, it is important to understand how human traits (particularly our sex and body measurements) affect our thermal perception. Recently, a new tool has been developed that allows individuals to continuously monitor thermal perception. Therefore, this research proposes to utilize this tool to track when and what thermal conditions are associated with thermal discomfort. By better understanding when thermal discomfort occurs, and the thermal conditions responsible for this discomfort, will be valuable to the development of new clothing technologies to improve thermal comfort.

Faculty Supervisor:

Philip Ainslie

Student:

Partner:

Lululemon

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Manufacturing; Retail trade

University:

The University of British Columbia - Okanagan

Program: