Convective Heat Transfer Coefficient from Baby Is Smaller than That from Adult

INTRODUCTION Thermal stress becomes larger in the baby than in the adult, when they are exposed in a cold environment (Belghazi et al., 2005). This is because heat exchange in the baby is larger than in the adult due to the larger ratio of body surface area to body mass. Heat transfer form the body is also one of important factors to determine the level of the body heat exchange. Therefore, distribution of heat transfer coefficient in the adult has been well investigated through experiments using human subjects and thermal manikins in terms of effects of posture (e.g., Nishi and Gagge, 1970) or body shape (e.g., Kuklane et al., 2004). On the other hand, heat transfer property in the baby has been less discussed experimentally because of ethical matters. Therefore, in order to assess heat transfer property from the baby’s body, we have developed a baby thermal manikin, which can simulate not only its shape but also heat energy production as same as baby aged in 6 months (Fukazawa et al., 2005). In this study, we aimed to obtain fundamental data about heat transfer property in the baby to contribute for thermal physiology and comfort in the baby.