How do children compare to adults in terms of thermoregulation?

Children are generally considered to be poorer thermoregulators compared to adults. This is primarily due to several physiological factors that play a critical role in thermoregulation. For instance, children have a higher surface area-to-volume ratio, which means they can lose heat more rapidly than adults. Additionally, children’s sweat glands are not fully developed, and their ability to sweat effectively to dissipate heat is limited, contributing to their vulnerability to overheating during physical exertion.

Moreover, children also have a different response to heat stress; they tend to produce more heat relative to their body size during exercise. As a result, they may struggle to maintain a stable internal temperature when exposed to high environmental temperatures or during vigorous activity.

In contrast, adults have fully developed thermoregulatory systems, including a more effective sweating response and better cardiovascular adaptations, allowing them to cope with heat stress more efficiently.