Assessing the Effects of Cool Roofs on Indoor Environments and Health

Increasing heat exposure from climate change is causing and exacerbating heat-related illnesses in millions worldwide - particularly in low resource settings. June 2024 was the 13th consecutive hottest month on record globally - shattering previous records. Heat exposure can instigate and worsen health conditions including cardiovascular, metabolic, endocrine and respiratory disease, heat-related illnesses, pregnancy complications, and mental health conditions. Adaptation is essential for protecting people from increasing heat exposure. The built environment, especially our homes, are ideal for deploying interventions to reduce heat exposure and accelerate adaptation efforts. However, currently there is a lack of evidence on a global scale - generated through empirical studies - guiding the uptake of interventions to reduce heat stress in low resource settings.

Sunlight-reflecting cool roof coatings passively reduce indoor temperatures and lower energy use, offering protection to home occupants from extreme heat. The investigators aim to conduct a global multi-centre cluster-randomized controlled trial investigating the effects of cool-roof use on health, environmental and economic outcomes in five urban climate hotspots - Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (sub-Saharan Africa), Ahmedabad, India (Asia), Tavua, Fiji and Niue (Oceania), and Colima, Mexico (Latin America). The sites represent hotspots where people experience a triple burden from heat exposure, chronic health issues and vulnerable housing conditions (slums, informal settlements and low socioeconomic housing). They also exhibit diversity in climate profiles, housing typology, level of socioeconomic development, population density and rates of urbanisation.

The trial will quantify whether cool roofs are an effective passive home cooling intervention with beneficial health effects for vulnerable populations in four locations. Findings will inform global policy responses on scaling cool roof implementation to protect people from increasing heat exposure driven by climate change.

• Heat-related symptoms [Срок оценки: Eight measurements will be taken: one at baseline and seven over 12 months, covering three consecutive hottest months and four alternate months.]
• Physician diagnosed heat-related illnesses [Срок оценки: Eight measurements will be taken: one at baseline and seven over 12 months, covering three consecutive hottest months and four alternate months.]
• Food insecurity [Срок оценки: Eight measurements will be taken: one at baseline and seven over 12 months, covering three consecutive hottest months and four alternate months.]
• Diet quality [Срок оценки: Eight measurements will be taken: one at baseline and seven over 12 months, covering three consecutive hottest months and four alternate months.]
• Health-related quality of life [Срок оценки: Eight measurements will be taken: one at baseline and seven over 12 months, covering three consecutive hottest months and four alternate months.]
• Indoor thermal comfort [Срок оценки: Eight measurements will be taken: one at baseline and seven over 12 months, covering three consecutive hottest months and four alternate months.]
• Coping ability [Срок оценки: Eight measurements will be taken: one at baseline and seven over 12 months, covering three consecutive hottest months and four alternate months.]
• Life satisfaction [Срок оценки: Eight measurements will be taken: one at baseline and seven over 12 months, covering three consecutive hottest months and four alternate months.]
• Healthcare provider utilization [Срок оценки: Eight measurements will be taken: one at baseline and seven over 12 months, covering three consecutive hottest months and four alternate months.]
• Hospitalization [Срок оценки: Eight measurements will be taken: one at baseline and seven over 12 months, covering three consecutive hottest months and four alternate months.]
• Systolic Blood Pressure [Срок оценки: Eight measurements will be taken: one at baseline and seven over 12 months, covering the three consecutive hottest months and four alternate months.]
• Diastolic Blood Pressure [Срок оценки: Eight measurements will be taken: one at baseline and seven over 12 months, covering the three consecutive hottest months and four alternate months.]