| Budget Amount *help |
¥13,600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥13,600,000)
Fiscal Year 2005: ¥800,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000)
Fiscal Year 2004: ¥5,500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥5,500,000)
Fiscal Year 2003: ¥7,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥7,300,000)
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| Research Abstract |
The purpose of this study is to investigate the optimal thermal environment for the elderly. We carried out two experiments in a climate chamber as follows. Experiment 1: the direct determination of preferred air temperature. The subjects regulated air temperature for 120 minutes. We explained individual variations of thermal comfort for the elderly, and whether it's a good condition for the elderly health. During the experiments, we measured the skin temperatures, heart rate, thermal comfort vote, thermal sensation vote, and so on. And, we measured metabolic rate and heat loss, and we considered heat balance under several thermal environment. The subjects were 30 healthy elderly women. The subjects sat on a chair during the experiments in summer clothes (0.4clo). Experiment 2: exposure to established air temperature (23℃, 25℃, 31℃, 33℃). The subjects were exposed to established air temperature for 60 minutes. We explained the effect of established thermal environment on physiological and psychological responses. On Experiment 2, 19 subjects were extracted from Experiment 1. By these experiments, we determine an extant of comfort temperatures for the elderly that has several preferred temperatures in summer. The results were as follows;
Preferred air temperature were from 24.4℃ to 29.3℃. The average of preferred air temperature was 27℃, and standard deviation of mat was 1.3℃. On that conditions, almost subjects voted 'comfortable'-'very comfortable'. But under 25℃, some elderly cooled their core temperatures a little, and their heart rate declined. This indicates that the elderly decrease in ability to control the skin temperature.
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