Heat-Safe Youth Physical Activity Promotion

Only about one-quarter of US children are meeting federal recommendations for physical activity, missing out on the many benefits of being active including improved brain health, cardiovascular health, and long-term health. Extreme heat—the likes of which are projected to increase with climate change and urban development patterns—can be a barrier to children engaging in physical activity due to thermal discomfort. High temperatures can also be dangerous by increasing children’s risk of exertional heat illness. The HEAT Lab investigates the temperature-physical activity relationship where children live, learn, and play. This includes examining heat stress and active commuting to and from school, connecting behavior with infrastructure design. We design and test potential solutions for decreasing heat stress and promoting physical activity in support of child health in our warming world.

(Lanza et al., 2022)

Select Projects

Routes to Environmental Justice: Assessment of Ambient Environmental Exposures for Safe Routes to School Programs

Green Schoolyards Project: Here’s a one-pager (in English and Spanish language) that summarizes the project, its findings, and recommendations based on project findings.

Select Publications

Zhang, Y., Burford, K. G., Pérez, A., Lanza, K., Salvo, D., Baker, B. A., & Hoelscher, D. M. (2025). Poor agreement between teacher perceived and objective measures of weather conditions for school-based physical activity research. Preventive Medicine Reports, 103328. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2025.103328

Szeszulski, J., Faro, J. M., Joseph, R. P., Lanza, K., Lévesque, L., Monroe, C. M., … & Lee, R. E. (2023). How societal forces of change are transforming youth physical activity promotion in North America. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 20(12), 1069-1077. https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.2023-0167

Lanza, K., Jones, J., Acuña, F., Coudert, M., Bixler, R. P., Kamath, H., & Niyogi, D. (2023). Heat vulnerability of Latino and Black residents in a low-income community and their recommended adaptation strategies: A qualitative study. Urban Climate, 51, 101656. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2023.101656

Koepp, A. E., Lanza, K., Byrd-Williams, C., Bryan, A. E., & Gershoff, E. T. (2023). Ambient temperature increases and preschoolers’ outdoor physical activity. JAMA pediatrics, 177(5), 539-540. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.0067

Lanza, K., Alcazar, M., Durand, C. P., Salvo, D., Villa, U., & Kohl, H. W. (2022). Heat-resilient schoolyards: relations between temperature, shade, and physical activity of children during recess. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 20(2), 134-141. https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.2022-0405

Poulos, A., Wilson, K., Lanza, K., & Vanos, J. (2022). A direct observation tool to measure interactions between shade, nature, and children’s physical activity: SOPLAY-SN. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 19(1), 127. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-022-01355-4

Lanza, K., Durand, C. P., Alcazar, M., Ehlers, S., Zhang, K., & Kohl III, H. W. (2021). School parks as a community health resource: use of joint-use parks by children before and during COVID-19 pandemic. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(17), 9237. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18179237

Lanza, K., Alcazar, M., Hoelscher, D. M., & Kohl III, H. W. (2021). Effects of trees, gardens, and nature trails on heat index and child health: design and methods of the Green Schoolyards Project. BMC public health, 21(1), 98. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-10128-2

Research Areas