Health Trials

Assessing the Effects of Cool Roofs on Indoor Environments and Health

ConditionsResting Heart RateBlood Glucose ControlDepressionHeat-related SymptomsPhysician Diagnosed Heat-related IllnessesFood InsecurityDiet QualityHealth-related Quality of LifeIndoor Thermal ComfortCoping AbilityLife SatisfactionHealthcare Provider UtilizationHospitalizationSystolic Blood PressureDiastolic Blood PressureInner Ear Canal TemperatureDehydrationSleep QualityCognitionProductivityAggressionIndoor Air TemperatureIndoor Relative HumidityIndoor Heat IndexHousehold Energy Expenditure
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age18+
SponsorAditi Bunker

About this trial

Ambient air temperatures in Asian, Latin American, African, and Pacific climate hotspots have broken record highs in 2024, driven by man-made climate change. Solutions are needed to reduce heat exposure in communities. Sunlight-reflecting cool roof coatings passively reduce indoor temperatures and energy use to protect home occupants from extreme heat. Occupants living in poor housing conditions globally - for example in informal settlements, slums, and low-socioeconomic households - are especially vulnerable to increased indoor heat exposure.

Heat exposure can instigate and worsen numerous physical, mental and social health conditions. The worst adverse health effects are being experienced in communities least able to adapt to heat exposure. By reducing indoor temperatures, cool roof use can promote physical, mental and social wellbeing in occupants.

The long-term research goal is to identify viable passive housing adaptation technologies with proven health and environmental benefits to reduce the burden of heat stress in communities affected by heat globally. To meet this goal, the investigators will conduct a cluster-randomized controlled trial to establish the effects of cool roof use on health, indoor environment and economic outcomes in five urban climate hotspots: Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; Colima, Mexico; Ahmedabad, India; Niue; and Tavua, Fiji.

Eligibility criteria

This trial accepts healthy volunteers

Qualifiers

Permanent household resident.

Disqualifiers

Roof damage, inaccessible or instability of roof adversely affecting cool roof coating application.

Participant unable to provide written/verbal informed consent.

Trial design

Design model

Parallel

Treatments tested in this trial

  • Cool roof

    Other intervention

    Cool roofs are a sunlight reflecting roof coating that can reduce indoor temperature. Cool roofs have high solar reflectance (reflecting the ultraviolet and visible wavelengths of sunlight, reducing heat transfer to the surface of a roof) and high thermal emittance (radiating absorbed solar energy).

Treatment groups

3,200 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groups
Group A: Cool roofExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group B: No cool roofNo intervention 0 interventions

Trial outcomes

Primary outcomes

1

Resting heart rate

Resting heart rate in beats per minute measured as the average of three readings in the left arm over one hour using Blip portable automated sphygmomanometers.

Time frame
Eight measurements will be taken: one at baseline and seven over 12 months, covering three consecutive hottest months and four alternate months.
2

Blood glucose control

Three month average of blood glucose in mmol/mol measured as glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) using capillary blood and the HemoCue® HbA1c 501 System.

Time frame
Two measurements will be taken: one at baseline and one in the last month of three consecutive hottest months.
3

Depression

Self-reported presence and frequency of symptoms of depression assessed using aggregate score of the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9). Minimum score of 0 and a maximum score of 27 with a higher score meaning a worse outcome.

Time frame
Eight measurements will be taken: one at baseline and seven over 12 months, covering three consecutive hottest months and four alternate months.

Secondary outcomes

1

Heat-related symptoms

Self-reported heat-related symptoms in the past month, assessed using a recall questionnaire.

Time frame
Eight measurements will be taken: one at baseline and seven over 12 months, covering three consecutive hottest months and four alternate months.
2

Physician diagnosed heat-related illnesses

Self-reported new diagnosis from a medical practitioner of a heat-related illness in the last month assessed using a recall questionnaire.

Time frame
Eight measurements will be taken: one at baseline and seven over 12 months, covering three consecutive hottest months and four alternate months.
3

Food insecurity

Self-reported experience based measure of individual food security assessed using the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES).

Time frame
Eight measurements will be taken: one at baseline and seven over 12 months, covering three consecutive hottest months and four alternate months.
4

Diet quality

Self-reported individual food group consumption in the previous 24 hours assessed using the Diet Quality Questionnaire (DQQ).

Time frame
Eight measurements will be taken: one at baseline and seven over 12 months, covering three consecutive hottest months and four alternate months.

Other outcomes

Sponsors and contacts

Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.

Aditi Bunker

Lead sponsor

University of Auckland, New Zealand

Sponsor institution

Sika Services AG

Collaborator

SOPREMA

Collaborator

Engineered Polymer Solutions (EPS B.V.)

Collaborator

Resene

Collaborator

Pacific Community

Collaborator

Habitat for Humanity

Collaborator

The Tindall Foundation

Collaborator

Rutgers University

Collaborator

Boston University

Collaborator

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Collaborator

Heidelberg University

Collaborator

University of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Collaborator

Indian Institute of Public Health, India

Collaborator

Fiji National University

Collaborator

Universidad de Colima

Collaborator

Source ClinicalTrials.gov
Apply now