Understanding and Supporting Women in Heatwaves: Awareness, Physiology, and Research Priorities

This symposium will present insights from a UK-based programme of surveys and focus groups exploring public awareness of heatwaves, occupational challenges during extreme heat, and the role of education in supporting effective heat–health responses. The presentation adopts a female-focused perspective, considering pregnancy, menopause, clinical populations, and healthy adults. It examines how thermoregulatory demands are understood and managed across different life stages and occupational contexts.
The session will highlight limited awareness of the physiological and health impacts of heat exposure, and how current heat–health guidance may insufficiently reflect female biology. These gaps raise important questions about the evidence that underpins existing advice and interventions. In response, the symposium will examine methodological limitations in thermal physiology research. Women remain underrepresented, and hormonal status is often inconsistently classified, controlled, or reported. Ovarian hormones can influence thermoregulatory responses, meaning these gaps may affect interpretation, comparability, and translation to applied settings.
The symposium will argue that more effective heat–health education and occupational guidance would benefit from a stronger, sex-informed evidence base. It will conclude by emphasising the need for high-quality research that rigorously accounts for female biology, alongside targeted interventions, to support inclusive and effective heat adaptation in daily life and work.