As extreme heat moves across the Central Coast, local schools and youth sports programs are making changes to help keep children safe while health officials remind parents to watch for signs of heat-related illness.
Dr. Kristine Reyes with the Santa Barbara County Health Department’s Santa Maria clinic says children can be more vulnerable to dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke.
“So compared to an adult, kids can actually overheat three to five times more than adults can, or faster than adults can,” Reyes said. “Their sweat glands are a bit immature, so they can’t really cool themselves as well as an adult can.”…