Athletes' Perceptions of Environmental Stressors: Perceived Impact of Heat, Air Pollution, and Climate Variability on Sports Performance and Health among University Athletes
Abstract
Background: Escalating global temperatures and deteriorating urban air quality have positioned environmental stressors as pressing concerns in competitive sport, yet few studies have explored how athletes subjectively perceive these challenges, particularly in South Asian university contexts.
Objective: This study aimed to examine university athletes' perceptions of heat, air pollution, and climate variability and their perceived effects on sports performance and health.
Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted with 151 university athletes (74.8% female; 25.2% male; aged 18–25 years) drawn from seven public and private universities in Lahore, Pakistan. A structured, 30-item questionnaire comprising the Perceived Environmental Stress Questionnaire (PESQ), Athletic Performance Perception Scale (APPS), and Environmental Coping and Awareness Inventory (ECAI) measured perceptions on a five-point Likert scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square goodness-of-fit tests (α = .05).
Results: Heat was widely identified as a significant performance stressor, with athletes reporting moderately elevated fatigue, delayed recovery, impaired reaction time, and reduced endurance in hot conditions. Air pollution was associated with breathing difficulties, decreased stamina, motivational decline, and cognitive impairment during training and competition. Regarding coping, the majority of athletes reported adopting adaptive behaviors including hydration management, training-time adjustment, rest breaks, protective clothing, and pollution avoidance though most responses clustered at moderate rather than consistent levels of implementation. Chi-square analyses confirmed statistically significant non-uniform response distributions across all 30 items (p < .05 to p < .001).
Conclusion: University athletes perceive environmental stressors as meaningful threats to performance and health. While coping awareness exists, systematic institutional support is necessary to translate individual awareness into effective protective behaviors. Sports organizations and universities in Pakistan should develop evidence-based environmental management protocols.
Keywords: Heat Stress; Air Pollution; Climate Variability; Athletic Performance; Sports Health; Environmental Perception; University Athletes; Pakistan
