Whether driving to a summer job, playing soccer or shopping with friends, Nashville teenagers were exposed to dangerous heat basically every time they stepped outside their homes last week.
This is not exactly conjecture. A group of teenagers actually wore temperature sensors for one week as part of a new research effort from Middle Tennessee State University and the Cumberland River Compact.
The Nashville Urban Heat Youth Fellows program combines education and research to help protect youth in a world that is getting hotter, says Adelle Monteblanco, a MTSU sociology professor who helped spearhead the project with climatologist Alisa Hass.
“They have an incredible burden in front of them shaped by the climate crisis. We aim to keep them safe with a few more pieces of information and a few more tools,” Monteblanco said.
About a dozen Nashville-based volunteers ages 15 to 18 received a wearable sensor and three stationary sensors, which measure both temperature and humidity, to place around their homes or backyards. They sat through a few educational sessions on heat danger, mitigation and adaptation, and then carried on with their lives during an unusually hot week while wearing the sensors.
Afterward, the research team plotted their temperature and humidity exposures on a graph.
“As they’re walking around, they can be encountering heats of 90s and above at a consistent rate,” said Hannah Newcomb, a MTSU sociology graduate student involved in the study. “That’s really high and shocking.”
Normally, playing outside can improve the physical and mental health of children. But not when the heat index reaches 90 degrees or above, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Children, the elderly and pregnant people have more difficulty regulating their body temperature. Heat can cause dehydration, irritability, heat exhaustion, heat cramps and heat stroke.
Heat waves, along with the associated wildfires, drought and poor air quality, can also cause “climate anxiety” among youth.
On the other hand, many teenagers see themselves as invulnerable, so identifying their perception of heat exposure and its threats — and how they want to be warned about heat — was a core component of the research.
“That way, we can effectively communicate the dangers and urge them to take protective measures,” Monteblanco said. “We hope to encourage more adaptation efforts in their day-to-day lives.”
As part of the program, the teens involved will also be creating a “heat communication product,” like an infographic or a post on the program’s Instagram or TikTok.
The data and initial findings have not been peer-reviewed yet. Results from the study may be published later this year.
@heatfellows Heat is the not the same as it was. Learn more about urban heat islands today! Join our Nashville Urban Heat Fellows Program to learn and lead in the realm of urban heat! #climatechange #urbanheat #urbanheatisland #environment #mtsu #nashville #asitwas #heatwave
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