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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – You might think that keeping athletes hydrated during hot summer practices is enough to keep them safe and healthy—but you’d be wrong. Already this season, six high school football players across the country as well as an assistant coach in Texas have died of apparent heat-related illnesses. More frequent heat waves and ever-increasing humidity levels put students at a higher risk today than ever before. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently released updated guidelines for athletes noting that based on their weight and health status, some students require special attention.
New AAP safety guidelines include:
Providing risk-reduction training for coaches, trainers and other adults.
Ensuring trained staff are available on-site to monitor for and promptly treat heat illness.
Educating children about preparing for the heat to improve safety and reduce the risk for heat illness.
Allowing children to gradually adapt to physical activity in the heat.
Offering time for and encouraging sufficient fluid intake before, during and after exercise.
Modifying activity as needed given the heat and limitations of individual athletes. Practices and games may need to be canceled or rescheduled to cooler times.
Providing rest periods of at least 2 hours between same-day contests in warm to hot weather.
Limiting participation of children who have had a recent illness or have other risk factors that would reduce exercise-heat tolerance.
Developing and having in place an emergency action plan.
New research into the heat-related deaths of football players since 1980 pinpoints top risk factors:
The death rate for football players has increased since the mid-1990s
Nearly 95 percent of those who died would be considered overweight based on their body mass index
Most of the deaths occurred early in the August practice period, with nearly 25 percent happening during the first three days of practice
The overwhelming majority—86 percent—of those who died were linemen
Most of the deaths occurred in the eastern half of the United States
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