Acute medicine & surgery
Heat-Related Deaths During School-Supervised Activities in Japan: A 19-Year Nationwide Study Using the Japan Sport Council Database
By Saito S, Igarashi Y, Mori R and 2 others.
Abstract
Aim
Children and adolescents in school sports are vulnerable to exertional heat illness, but detailed information on fatal events under school supervision in Japan is limited. This study aimed to characterize the circumstances of fatal heat-related illness in this setting.
Methods
We conducted a nationwide retrospective observational study using the Japan Sport Council School Accident Search Database. We included deaths among preschool to high school students between April 2005 and March 2024 attributed to heat illness during school-supervised activities. Demographics, school type, setting, activity at collapse, and first aid at the scene were abstracted.