Gender Differences in Finger Temperatures During Cold Air Exposure

摘要

Many women are involved in activities that impose a risk of cold injury to the fingers, and the ability of women to resist these effects is unknown. The purpose of this study was to compare finger temperatures of women and men exposed to 0 deg C air for up to 135 minutes (15 minutes with mittens on, and up to 120 minutes with mittens off). Each subject participated in four trials. Active duty U.S. Navy personnel (nine women and nine men) wore warm winter clothing during each trial, sat with their arms supported at heart level, hands laying on an open mesh surface. Temperature finger was measured and recorded every minute from the dorsal aspect of each finger just proximal to the nail bed. Due to removal of subjects before 135 minutes, analyses were performed in only the first 75 minutes of cold air exposure.