Heat and Teenage Athletes
Explore Other Kids and Climate Health Impacts
Find information on how climate change can increase extreme heat and affect youth athletes. Start by reading the fictional story of a teenager who is affected by extreme heat while playing a sport and learn how similar situations can affect kids across the country. Also get tools to help families prepare and cope with outcomes from climate-related activity. Finally, check out the regional spotlight.
On this page:
Sam's Story
A family and their teenager, Sam, are living in an urban town that has seen an increase in extreme heat. The local school district does not have clear guidance on restricting outdoor sports during extreme heat. Sam is a high school athlete and is often exposed to high heat during practices and games. One day during practice, Sam gets extremely dizzy and experiences muscle cramps during practice. The athletic trainer suspects that these symptoms are due to the heat, and Sam is diagnosed with heat cramps by a pediatrician.
Climate Change Impacts
- Since 1970, temperatures in the contiguous United States have risen by 2.5°F and temperatures in Alaska have risen by 4.2°F.1
- Heat waves are more frequent, long-lasting, and more intense than they used to be. Their frequency has steadily increased, from an average of two heat waves per year during the 1960s to six per year during the 2010s and 2020s. The average length of the heat wave season across the U.S. cities is 46 days longer now than it was in the 1960s and, in recent years, the average heat wave in major U.S. urban areas has lasted about four days.2
- Heat islands are urbanized areas that experience higher temperatures than outlying areas. Structures such as buildings, roads, and other infrastructure absorb and re-emit the sun’s heat more than natural landscapes such as forests and water bodies. Urban areas, where these structures are highly concentrated and greenery is limited, become “islands” of higher temperatures relative to outlying areas.3
- While “green infrastructure” such as tree cover and other vegetation can lower nearby air temperatures, they can also increase humidity.4 Because it is more difficult for our bodies to keep cool by sweating in high-humidity conditions, the temperature required for heat-related illness may be lower in rural areas than in urban areas.5 Green infrastructure are usually found more abundantly in rural communities than urban ones. People living in regions that experience heat less often are less acclimated to heat stress and thus may be at greater risk of heat-related illness. These areas may also lack adequate rules and regulations for extreme heat.6
Impacts on Young Athletes' Health
- Approximately 9,000 high school athletes are treated for heat-related illnesses every year in the United States.7
- Children, including adolescents and teens, are among the most vulnerable to heat-related illness. This is because children produce more heat relative to their body weight than adults, produce sweat at a lower rate, begin sweating at a higher temperature, and adjust more slowly to warm weather due to their less developed circulation.8
- It is important to recognize that children often lack knowledge or awareness about fluid replenishment. Young children especially rely on adults to keep them cool and to provide adequate hydration during extreme heat.5
- Children and teens spend more time outside than adults and are more exposed to heat events. Children and teens may not be able to recognize when it is too hot to practice, or when to take breaks.
- Student athletes living in regions that experience heat less often are less acclimated to heat stress and may be at greater risk of heat-related illness. These areas may also lack adequate rules and regulations for extreme heat.6
What can I do?
- DO check the heat risk before sending your child to practice. HeatRisk, a health-based heat forecast, can help you assess the combined risk of the heat and humidity in your area.
- DO encourage coaches to become familiar with the risks of heat. The CDC offers a free, online training course on heat-related illness prevention designed for coaches, athletic trainers, school nurses, parents, and teachers.
- DO provide children and teens with extra water and encourage frequent rehydration. Learn more about extreme heat and health
- DO limit outdoor activity, especially during mid-day. Encourage coaches to schedule practices during cooler periods during the day or in air-conditioned locations. Learn how to prepare for extreme heat.
- DO seek medical care immediately if an athlete shows signs of heat-related illness, including confusion; loss of consciousness; hot, dry skin or profuse sweating; rapid pulse; seizures; or very high body temperature. Learn more about the signs of heat related illness.
- DO apply sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher.
- DO gradually phase in exercise during days with above average heat and take frequent breaks.
- DO dress athletes in light-colored clothing.
- DO cool off by taking cool baths or showers or staying in air-conditioned locations. Fans will not prevent heat-related illness during extreme heat. Learn how to prepare for extreme heat.
Regional Spotlight: Adaptation and Rural Communities in the Southeast
The Southeast includes Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
- Cities across the Southeast are experiencing longer and more frequent summer heat waves, or prolonged periods of abnormally hot weather.9 61% of major Southeast cities—a higher percentage than in any other region of the country—are experiencing worsening heat waves.10
- Some of the Southeast’s growth has led to affluent and young people moving to urban areas and displacing under-resourced communities to suburban and rural areas. Under-resourced communities face more environmental hazards and increasing risks but have less access to climate-ready infrastructure such as resource centers for heat and cold relief.11
More Resources
- CDC: Heat and Athletes
- CDC: Extreme Heat and Your Health
- EPA: EPA’s Programs and Actions to Address Extreme Heat
- NFHS: Heat Illness Prevention
- CDC: Heat Risk Dashboard
- National Weather Service: Heat Cramps, Exhaustion, and Stroke
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration: Heat-Related Illnesses and First Aid
- Red Cross: Heat Exhaustion
- Children's Environmental Health Collaborative: Protecting Children from Heat Stress: A Technical Note