Reliability and validity of the CORE sensor to assess core body temperature during cycling exercise

Verdel, Nina (author), Podlogar, Tim (author), Ciuha, Urša (author), Holmberg, Hans-Christer (author), Debevec, Tadej (author), Supej, Matej (author)

Monitoring core body temperature (T$_c$) during training and competitions, especially in a hot environment, can help enhance an athlete’s performance, as well as lower the risk for heat stroke. Accordingly, a noninvasive sensor that allows reliable monitoring of T$_c$ would be highly beneficial in this context. One such novel non-invasive sensor was recently introduced onto the market (CORE, greenTEG, Rümlang, Switzerland), but, to our knowledge, a validation study of this device has not yet been reported. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the CORE sensor. In Study I, 12 males were subjected to a low-to-moderate heat load by performing, on two separate occasions several days apart, two identical 60-min bouts of steady-state cycling in the laboratory at 19 °C and 30% relative humidity. In Study II, 13 males were subjected to moderate-to-high heat load by performing 90 min of cycling in the laboratory at 31 °C and 39% relative humidity. In both cases the core body temperatures indicated by the CORE sensor were compared to the corresponding values obtained using a rectal sensor (T$_{rec}$). The first major finding was that the reliability of the CORE sensor is acceptable, since the mean bias between the two identical trials of exercise (0.02 °C) was not statistically significant. However, under both levels of heat load, the body temperature indicated by the CORE sensor did not agree well with T$_{rec}$, with approximately 50% of all paired measurements differing by more than the predefined threshold for validity of ≤0.3 °C. In conclusion, the results obtained do not support the manufacturer’s claim that the CORE sensor provides a valid measure of core body temperature.

• Language: English
• Keywords: validity, reliability, core body temperature, rectal temperature, CORE sensor, cycling, non-invasiveness
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FŠ - Faculty of Sport
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: 13 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 21, iss. 17, art. 5932
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-136169
• UDC: 796.61.071.2
• ISSN on article: 1424-8220
• DOI: 10.3390/s21175932
• COBISS.SI-ID: 75500803
• Publication date in RUL: 14.04.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Sensors
• Shortened title: Sensors
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 1424-8220
• COBISS.SI-ID: 10176278

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 03.09.2021

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: merjenje temperature, športniki, kolesarstvo, veljavnost, zanesljivost, telesna temperatura jedra, rektalna temperatura, senzor CORE, kolesarjenje, neinvazivnost