August 2021: Heat
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Fall sports conditioning is in full swing and in many parts of the country August is one of the hottest months of the year. Exercising in hot and humid weather means that parents, coaches, and young athletes need to learn the signs of heat-related illnesses like heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke and how to prevent them.
Prevention
Young athletes can stay safer in the heat by following these tips:
Start slowly. Let athletes get used to higher temperatures and activity levels over the course of a few weeks.
Drink plenty of water before and during practices, even if they don’t feel thirsty. Sports drinks can help replace electrolytes that are lost during exercise.
Wear light-colored, lightweight, and loose-fitting clothing.
If possible, avoid practicing or conditioning during mid-day when the sun is at its peak.
Signs
Common signs of heat-related illness include dizziness, weakness, headaches and even vomiting. Because these symptoms are very general, it’s important for coaches, parents, and trainers to pay attention and know what is normal behavior for each athlete so they can act quickly when they notice something is wrong.
Treatment
At the first signs of heat-related illness, young athletes should immediately stop conditioning or practicing, move to a shady or air-conditioned spot, and get cooled off with cold water, water-soaked towels, or a fan. If they aren’t feeling too nauseous, encourage them to drink cold water or a sports drink. If the coach or parent suspects a heat stroke, call emergency medical services immediately for treatment.
More about preventing sports-related heat illnesses and dehydration from Children’s Health.
Prevent Child Injury Updates
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Prevent Child Injury has added the UserWay Website Accessibility Widget which is powered by a dedicated accessibility server. The widget allows our website visitors to make text larger, increase letter and line spacing, change the contrast, and more. Check out the widget and try out some of the settings!
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We are now including short GIFs in our toolkits. Check out our GIPHY channel to preview, download, and share our GIFs on social media. We are excited about this new addition to our toolkits and we hope to see our members using them in future outreach efforts!
Take Action
Every month, we are promoting a new action that each family can take to keep their children safer. This month, we want every family to make sure their young athlete brings enough water to sports practices and games. When they don’t drink enough water while playing sports, young athletes can be at risk of dehydration, heat exhaustion, and even heat stroke. For kids aged 9-12 years, pack 1/2-1 cup for every 20 minutes of play. For teens, pack 5-6 cups for every hour.
Follow along every month for a new action for you to share with the families you serve.
Coming Up
On Our Twitter Calendar
June 28 - July 4: Fireworks Safety Month
July 5 - 11: Open Water Safety
July 12 - 18: Fall Sports and Marching Band Readiness
July 19 - 25: Outreach Week: Sun Safety Toolkit
July 26 - August 1: Pediatric Vehicular Heatstroke Awareness, National Heatstroke Prevention Day
Events
Webinar: Safe Routes Back 2 School Zoom Session #2
Hosted by: Safe Routes Partnership
Date/Time: August 4, 2021 from 2-3pm EDT
Join the Safe Routes Partnership for an informal Zoom session on preparing your Safe Routes to School program for Back to School 2021. Learn about Back to School resources from Safe Routes Partnership, see highlights from Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT)’s Safe Routes to School program that engaged students and families during the pandemic, and connect with other Safe Routes practitioners during informal breakout sessions. Register for the session here.
Webinar: Epidemiology of Youth Suicide and Suicidal Behavior
Hosted by: Midwest Injury Prevention Alliance
Date/Time: August 5, 2021 from 1-2pm EDT
The Midwest Injury Prevention Alliance is excited to announce a webinar on the “Epidemiology of Youth Suicide and Suicidal Behavior” by Jeff Bridge, PhD on Thursday, August 5, 2021, from 1-2pm EDT. This presentation will describe the problem of youth suicide and suicidal behavior in the United States. The presentation will also discuss research examining the association between the release of 13 Reasons Why and suicidal behavior in young people. Dr. Bridge is an epidemiologist and director of the Center for Suicide Prevention and Research in the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Click here to reserve your spot to attend the webinar.
Webinar: Teen Driving Safety – Recent Research and Implications for Prevention
Hosted by: Children's Safety Network (CSN)
Date/Time: August 23, 2021 from 2-3pm EDT
Many factors contribute to the high rate of motor vehicle-related deaths among teens – including lack of driving experience, lack of seat belt use, excessive speed, distractions, and drug and alcohol impairment. In this webinar, Dr. Barbara Banz of the Yale School of Medicine will discuss the neuroscience of driving for teens and the complexity of teen crashes from a developmental perspective. Dr. Federico Vaca, also at the Yale School of Medicine, will share his work on the relatively newer phenomenon of teens delaying their driving licensure, including advantages and disadvantages, contributing factors, differences among racial/ethnic groups, and implications for graduated driving licensure and teen driver safety. Register for the webinar here.
Webinar: Overcoming the Limitations of Pedestrian and Bicyclists Crash Data
Hosted by: Road to Zero
Date/Time: August 25, 2021 from 2-3pm EDT
Crash data can be flawed and inconsistent -- especially when it involves pedestrians and bicyclists. This webinar will explore how organizations can improve the quality of their pedestrian and bicyclist crash data for safety analysis and how they can work with the data they have to implement a safer system today. Register for the event here.
Virtual Conference: 2021 Safe States Virtual Injury and Violence Prevention Conference
Hosted by: Safe States Alliance
Date/Time: August 31, 2021 to September 2, 2021Join the Safe States Alliance for 3 days of learning and networking as they Reconnect and Reimagine Injury and Violence Prevention. Attendees can expect a combination of live video meetings, recorded sessions with real-time chat discussions, and opportunities to network directly with peers across the country over three days. Attendees will be able to design a custom agenda that works with their schedule and online preferences. The conference will feature three days of engaging and timely presentations focused on a wide range of IVP topics, including (but not limited to) equity and social justice, public health surveillance in times of COVID-19, and much more. Register for the conference today (online registration is available until August 26th, 2021).