Specialist: Exercising in summer causes dehydration and heat exhaustion

Parents demand air-conditioned gyms in their children's schools

Students complained about high temperatures while performing sports activities. From the source

Parents of students called for the need to provide air-conditioned indoor gyms dedicated to physical education classes in the summer in schools, as there are schools that provide outdoor yards only, which negatively affects the health of students, especially those who suffer from diseases.

While private schools that do not have indoor gyms confirmed that they changed class schedules during the current semester, and chose times for physical education classes in which temperatures do not exceed 30 degrees Celsius, while a school confirmed that it worked to cancel all sports classes until the end of the third semester of the academic year 2022-2023.

While a family medicine specialist confirmed that exercising in the summer causes health risks, especially when the weather is humid and hot, which increases the risk of dehydration or heat stroke and heat exhaustion.

In detail, the parent of a primary school student in a private school in the Eastern Province, Maryam Ali Khamis, said: "My daughter suffers from nosebleeds, which is nosebleeds in the event of exposure to dry air or temperature differences, and I have noticed that in every physical education class, since the beginning of the third semester, she suffers from nosebleeds, and I am contacted to take her from school, despite the cessation of bleeding, due to her inability to continue studying as a result of cloning her clothes with large amounts of blood."

She pointed out that she prefers her daughter to do sports activities in an air-conditioned hall, instead of performing them in the school yard, even with an umbrella that prevents students from being exposed directly to the sun, but the air remains hot and dry, which affects students and may make them tired.

The opinion was supported by the parent of five students in different educational stages, citizen Rashid Ali Al Zaabi, saying: «My children complain of high temperatures during their performance of sports activities during the physical education class, especially since the school does not contain an air-conditioned gym that helps to perform these activities comfortably to achieve the goal of those activities beneficial to health, as they may become exhausted and tired as a result of high temperatures during the third semester of the current school year», stressing the need to provide halls Closed and air-conditioned to preserve the health of students.

The guardian of two kindergarten and primary school students, Suad Saleh, called for the need to provide air-conditioned halls in private schools and to force them by the competent responsible authorities not to allow physical education teachers to give students sports activities in the school yards, in light of the high temperatures.

The administration of a private school in the Emirate of Fujairah sent parents an email stating that "due to the high temperatures during the first semester, the physical education class, which includes sports activities and playing football, has become a threat to the health and safety of students, which may cause them to suffer from heat stroke, dehydration or dizziness, which will affect their academic performance for the rest of the day, which called for the cancellation of all classes until the end of the third semester of the academic year 2022-2023."

For her part, a physical education teacher at a private school in the Eastern Province, Nevine Ali, confirmed that physical education classes are of great importance to students, especially since they often eat unhealthy foods that cause them to be lethargic and inactive, in addition to obesity.

A social worker at a private school in the Emirate of Fujairah, Amna Abdullah, confirmed that the physical education teacher has the medical reports of students who suffer from any health problems, and deals with them in particular during classes, but the high temperatures during the third semester made the school administration direct physical education teachers to give students activities commensurate with temperatures, and conduct them in the classroom if necessary, in order to preserve the health and safety of students.

Family medicine specialist Maryam Al Hammadi confirmed that exercising in the summer may cause several risks, especially since when the weather is humid and hot, the evaporation process becomes difficult, in addition to the fact that hot air does not help cool the dilated blood vessels, which increases the risk of dehydration or heat stroke and heat exhaustion.

Al Hammadi pointed out that physical education classes are important for students, and work to improve their performance during their presence in school and motivate them to perform sports activities that prevent them from becoming obese, but the summer requires several measures that enable students to benefit from sports activities, instead of causing harm, as these measures include wearing light clothes and drinking a lot of water, performing them at times when the sun is not hot, and choosing shaded places so that no one of the students is hit by a blow Sun, or choose air-conditioned halls, with an immediate stop to any exercise if any student shows signs of dehydration or heat exhaustion.

• A private school cancels sports classes until the end of the third semester.

• Schools: We instruct sports teachers to give students temperature-friendly activities.