Di-san junyi daxue xuebao (Apr 2019)
Impact of geographical environment differences on incidence of heat stroke in training troops in Chongqing
Abstract
Objective To analyze the factors contributing to heat stroke in troops from different regions on the first day after arrival in Chongqing. Methods Using a self-designed questionnaire, we investigated the daily activities, training, and the occurrence of heat stroke in 2 troops from 2 different regions before and during the transportation and after their arrival at Chongqing. The individuals having heat stroke on the first day of arrival served as the heat stroke group, and those without heat stroke served as the control group for comparison of the data to identify the factors contributing to heat stroke in the 2 troops. Results Twelve (33.3%) individuals in troop A and 16 (48.6%) in troop B had heat stroke on the first day after arrival in Chongqing. In troop A, the volume of daily water intake, sleep time and sleep quality differed significantly between the individuals with heat stroke and those without during the transportation (P < 0.05); In troop B, the weekly training time and the volume of water intake on the first day of arrival differed significantly between the heat stroke and non-heat stroke groups (P < 0.05).Logistic multivariate regression showed that an increased mean daily water intake and improved daily sleep quality during transportation in troop A and a longer weekly training time in troop B were the protective factors against heat stroke. Conclusion The differences in the geographical environment in terms of climate and altitude between the 2 troops resulted in significant differences in the factors affecting the occurrence of heat stroke on the first day after their arrival, suggesting the importance of addressing the geographical differences between the stationing site and the mission site in designing measures for controlling environmentally sensitive diseases for the trans-regional mobile troops.
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