Development and validation of an Outdoor Environmental Heat Index(OETI) without the need for measurement instruments and based on meteorological data

Development and validation of an Outdoor Environmental Heat Index(OETI) without the need for measurement instruments and based on meteorological data | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Development and validation of an Outdoor Environmental Heat Index(OETI) without the need for measurement instruments and based on meteorological data Habibollah Dehghan, Saeid Yazdanirad, Zahra Ordudari This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6741746/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 16 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract An increasing number of workers are facing various physical factors, such as heat stress due to the inevitability of climate change, global warming. This study aimed to develop and validate an OETI without using measurement instruments, relying only on meteorological and geographical data and using structural equation modeling. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 201 men who worked outdoors in both hot and dry, as well as hot and humid environments. Alongside collecting personal information from the participants, tympanic temperature and heart rate were measured both at rest and 90 minutes after the start of work. Concurrently, the climatic conditions of the workplace were assessed using instruments, along with geographic information and data from meteorological databases. Additionally, the metabolic rate and insulation value of the individuals' clothing were estimated, and information related to other observed parameters was also recorded. According to the results, the indirect effect coefficients of the most important variables were as follows: globe temperature (0.59), dry bulb temperature (0.55), relative humidity (0.53), work place (0.59) and heat source (0.55). The overall index score was divided into four categories based on established optimal cut-off points of 18.5, 20.02, and 21.46. Furthermore, the results showed that the OETI developed using device data and with meteorological data was able to justify 69% and 59% of the changes in tympanic temperature. OETI was developed based on a combination of observational, geographic, and meteorological data, making it a practical tool for assessing heat stress without need to measurement instruments in various outdoor conditions. Health sciences/Health care Health sciences/Health occupations Health sciences/Risk factors Meteorological data observational data Heat stress index environmental factors outdoor workplace AMOS model Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 30 Sep, 2025 Reviews received at journal 27 Sep, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Sep, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Sep, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 19 Sep, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 19 Sep, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 18 Sep, 2025 Reviews received at journal 05 Jul, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 30 Jun, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 24 Jun, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Jun, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 23 Jun, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 13 Jun, 2025 Editor invited by journal 29 May, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 28 May, 2025 First submitted to journal 28 May, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6741746","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":475918182,"identity":"d2bd4824-afbf-4012-86db-70555a748397","order_by":0,"name":"Habibollah Dehghan","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Isfahan University of Medical Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Habibollah","middleName":"","lastName":"Dehghan","suffix":""},{"id":475918183,"identity":"147e11ed-2963-4446-8d65-0b49ad44fa7e","order_by":1,"name":"Saeid Yazdanirad","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Saeid","middleName":"","lastName":"Yazdanirad","suffix":""},{"id":475918184,"identity":"88dad8b2-fbf9-455f-b22d-80c8a5591481","order_by":2,"name":"Zahra Ordudari","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAyklEQVRIiWNgGAWjYJACCQY2BgY29gYGZhK18BwgVQuDRAKRWuTbex/e5imzy+eTfGP4uaDChoG/vTsBrxbGnuPG1jznki3bpHOMpWecSWOQOHN2A14tzBJpbNK8bcwGbNI5BkDGYQYDiVz8WtggWuoN2CTPGP8mSgsPRMthAzYJHjPibJHgOcZsOefccQM2nrQya54zaTwE/SLf3sZ4401ZtYF8++HNt3kqbOT423vxa0ECHAZglxKrHATYH5CiehSMglEwCkYQAACsLDhQU4m/+QAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Isfahan University of Medical Sciences","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Zahra","middleName":"","lastName":"Ordudari","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-05-25 04:53:03","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6741746/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6741746/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Development and validation of an Outdoor Environmental Heat Index(OETI) without the need for measurement instruments and based on meteorological data","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":false,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Meteorological data, observational data, Heat stress index, environmental factors, outdoor workplace, AMOS model","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6741746/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6741746/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eAn increasing number of workers are facing various physical factors, such as heat stress due to the inevitability of climate change, global warming. This study aimed to develop and validate an OETI without using measurement instruments, relying only on meteorological and geographical data and using structural equation modeling. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 201 men who worked outdoors in both hot and dry, as well as hot and humid environments. Alongside collecting personal information from the participants, tympanic temperature and heart rate were measured both at rest and 90 minutes after the start of work. Concurrently, the climatic conditions of the workplace were assessed using instruments, along with geographic information and data from meteorological databases. Additionally, the metabolic rate and insulation value of the individuals' clothing were estimated, and information related to other observed parameters was also recorded. According to the results, the indirect effect coefficients of the most important variables were as follows: globe temperature (0.59), dry bulb temperature (0.55), relative humidity (0.53), work place (0.59) and heat source (0.55). The overall index score was divided into four categories based on established optimal cut-off points of 18.5, 20.02, and 21.46. Furthermore, the results showed that the OETI developed using device data and with meteorological data was able to justify 69% and 59% of the changes in tympanic temperature. OETI was developed based on a combination of observational, geographic, and meteorological data, making it a practical tool for assessing heat stress without need to measurement instruments in various outdoor conditions.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Development and validation of an Outdoor Environmental Heat Index(OETI) without the need for measurement instruments and based on meteorological data","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-06-25 04:56:30","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6741746/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2025-09-30T08:34:50+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-09-27T08:04:07+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"53251227949497597166253718177280375868","date":"2025-09-23T16:34:05+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"303408094485788533206556605867863045292","date":"2025-09-23T11:29:53+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"274832772233368496990834403769142295217","date":"2025-09-20T02:37:38+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"3240771175866468516290794595149486934","date":"2025-09-19T04:27:05+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"243670371990213120391973181068236192327","date":"2025-09-18T22:36:25+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-07-05T07:08:24+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"165437120003028506287973796102627466133","date":"2025-06-30T06:26:18+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"110157106752776866730935040372221735453","date":"2025-06-24T16:29:47+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"159533761920709240926921440080645974195","date":"2025-06-23T13:16:53+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-06-23T12:35:10+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-06-13T08:31:04+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2025-05-29T14:17:45+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-05-28T08:39:27+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Scientific Reports","date":"2025-05-28T08:38:16+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"8d869717-0904-4d1b-ada9-356a73ce011e","owner":[],"postedDate":"June 25th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[{"id":50537551,"name":"Health sciences/Health care"},{"id":50537552,"name":"Health sciences/Health occupations"},{"id":50537553,"name":"Health sciences/Risk factors"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-03-10T06:56:09+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-06-25 04:56:30","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6741746","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6741746","identity":"rs-6741746","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}