Abstract In winter, dry indoor air is a common phenomenon which is considered to be the cause for dry skin. A field study was carried out to investigate the thermal and humidity environment and its effect on the oldest-old people (80+ years old) residents' thermal and humidity comfort and skin condition in a Scottish care home in winter. Eleven oldest-old residents participated voluntarily in the research. The room temperature and humidity were measured together with two skin parameters: Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL) and Stratum Corneum Hydration (SCH). The participants’ personal thermal and humidity comfort was studied by a questionnaire survey and short interviews. The monitoring results show that the average relative humidity (RH) in the bedrooms was lower than 40%, the minimum RH level in winter recommended by the CIBSE Guide A. The SCH appeared to be a good indicator for humidity comfort as it was significantly correlated with the room absolute humidity. The correlation makes it possible to predict the minimum humidity to prevent dry skin. The questionnaire results show the participants perceived a change in the room temperature but did not perceive the humidity changes. These research findings provide evidence-based data that could help to develop the indoor environment standard for these special occupants group of elderly people in care homes.

中文翻译：

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室内热湿条件对高龄老人冬季舒适度和皮肤状况的影响

摘要 冬季，室内空气干燥是一种普遍现象，被认为是导致皮肤干燥的原因。进行了一项实地研究，以调查冬季苏格兰养老院的温度和湿度环境及其对高龄老人（80 岁以上）居民的温度和湿度舒适度以及皮肤状况的影响。11 位年龄最大的居民自愿参与了这项研究。测量室温和湿度以及两个皮肤参数：经皮水分流失 (TEWL) 和角质层水合作用 (SCH)。通过问卷调查和简短访谈来研究参与者的个人热和湿度舒适度。监测结果显示，卧室平均相对湿度（RH）低于40%，是CIBSE指南A推荐的冬季最低相对湿度水平。SCH 似乎是湿度舒适度的良好指标，因为它与房间绝对湿度显着相关。这种相关性可以预测防止皮肤干燥的最低湿度。问卷结果显示，参与者感知到室温的变化，但没有感知到湿度的变化。这些研究结果提供了循证数据，有助于为护理院中的这些特殊老年人群制定室内环境标准。问卷结果显示，参与者感知到室温的变化，但没有感知到湿度的变化。这些研究结果提供了循证数据，有助于为护理院中的这些特殊老年人群制定室内环境标准。问卷结果显示，参与者感知到室温的变化，但没有感知到湿度的变化。这些研究结果提供了循证数据，有助于为护理院中的这些特殊老年人群制定室内环境标准。