Chest, Abdomen or Back: Selecting an Optimum Trunk Region for Hardy and DuBois Weighted Mean Skin Temperature Formula

The purpose of the present study was to examine the extent of the variations in mean skin temperatures by Hardy and DuBois 7-point formula when different single trunk sites were assigned (T sk-chest, T sk- abdomen, and T sk-upper back for the chest, abdomen and back, respectively). The average of the three trunk sites (T sk-all) was considered as a reference value. Eight male subjects underwent twelve experimental conditions: activities (rest and exercise) × clothing (Control, Tyvek and Vinyl condition) × air temperatures (25°C and 32°C). The results showed that 1) for rest conditions, there was no difference among T sk-chest, T sk- abdomen, T sk-upper back, and T sk-all; 2) for exercising conditions at 25°C, T sk-upper back tended to be greater than T sk-chest, and T sk-abdomen. The differences were statistically significant for Control and Tyvek conditions (p