Derivation of a formula to predict patient volume based on temperature at college football games.

Objective: We sought to explore the relationship between temperature and spectator illness at Division I college football games by deriving a formula to predict the number of patrons seeking medical care based on the ambient temperature and attendance of the game.

Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of medical records from 47 Division I college football games at two outdoor stadiums from 2001 through 2005. Any person presenting for medical care was counted as a patient seen.