Clinical trial NCT06842641: Assessing the Effect of Cool Roofs on Health Using Smartwatches in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Official title: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial (cRCT) Evaluating the Effects of Cool Roofs on Health Outcomes Using Smartwatches in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
Phase: NA
Conditions: Heart Rate
All-day Steps
Distance Walked
Active Minutes
Moderate-intensity Activity Minutes
Sleep Quantity
Time in Sleep Stages
Awake Duration
Sleep Score
Keywords: Hot Temperature
Humidity
Housing
Wearable
Smartwatch
Heart rate
Cardiovascular
Physical activity
Sleep
Cool roof
Lead sponsor: Institut Supérieur des Sciences de la Population
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: University of Auckland, New Zealand
name: Heidelberg University
name: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
name: Rutgers University
name: Boston University
name: Secretaría de Educación Pública, México
name: University of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
name: Indian Institute of Public Health, India
name: The Tindall Foundation
name: Habitat for Humanity
name: Pacific Community
name: Labfront
name: Cognifit
name: Resene
name: SOPREMA
name: EPS
name: Sika
First posted: 2025-02-24
Enrollment: 200
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: Ambient air temperatures in Africa, have broken record highs in 2024. Solutions are needed to build heat resilience in communities and adapt to increasing heat from climate change. Sunlight-reflecting cool roof coatings may passively reduce indoor temperatures and energy use to protect home occupants from extreme heat. Occupants living in poor housing conditions- for example in informal settlements, slums, and low-socioeconomic households - are susceptible to increased heat exposure.

Heat exposure can instigate and worsen numerous physical, mental and social health conditions. The worst adverse health effects are experienced in communities that are least able to adapt to heat exposure. By reducing indoor temperatures, cool roof application may improve heart health, sleep and physical activity in household occupants.

The long-term research goal is to identify viable passive housing adaptation technologies with proven health benefits to reduce the burden of heat stress in communities affected by heat. To meet this goal, the investigators will use smartwatches to measure the effects cool roof application on heart health, sleep and physical activity in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Detailed description: 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 numerous health conditions. Adaptation is essential for protecting people from increasing heat exposure. The built environment, especially homes, are ideal for deploying interventions to reduce heat exposure and accelerate adaptation efforts. However, evidence is currently lacking on a global scale - generated through empirical studies - guiding the uptake of interventions to reduce indoor 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. Continuous monitoring of health and wellbeing using smartwatches can provide insight into important parameters such as heart rate, sleep and physical activity - which are all affected by heat. Using smartwatches, the investigators will also continuously measure health and wellbeing outcomes during the day and night. The investigators will conduct a study to investigate the effects of cool-roof use on heart rate, sleep and physical activity in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (sub-Saharan Africa, where people experience a triple burden from heat exposure, chronic health issues and vulnerable housing conditions (slums, informal settlements and low socioeconomic housing).

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

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* • Permanent household resident

Exclusion Criteria:

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

  * Participant unable to provide written/verbal informed consent. Participants will be excluded if they are not willing or able to wear a smartwatch.
  * One participant per household.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Heart rate
timeFrame: The outcome will be measured at 15-second intervals continuously throughout each 12-month period, with participants wearing the device for at least two weeks per month to capture consistent data points.
Secondary outcomes:
measure: All-day steps
timeFrame: Measurements will be taken continuously for 12 months. Participants will be asked to wear their smartwatch for at least two weeks every month.
measure: Distance walked
timeFrame: Measurements will be taken continuously for 12 months. Participants will be asked to wear their smartwatch for at least two weeks every month.
measure: Active minutes
timeFrame: Measurements will be taken continuously for 12 months. Participants will be asked to wear their smartwatch for at least two weeks every month.
measure: Moderate-intensity activity minutes
timeFrame: Measurements will be taken continuously for 12 months. Participants will be asked to wear their smartwatch for at least two weeks every month.
measure: Vigorous-intensity activity duration
timeFrame: Measurements will be taken continuously for 12 months. Participants will be asked to wear their smartwatch for at least two weeks every month.
measure: Sleep quantity
timeFrame: Measurements will be taken continuously for 12 months. Participants will be asked to wear their smartwatch for at least two weeks every month.
measure: Time in sleep stages
timeFrame: Measurements will be taken continuously for 12 months. Participants will be asked to wear their smartwatch for at least two weeks every month.
measure: Awake duration
timeFrame: Measurements will be taken continuously for 12 months. Participants will be asked to wear their smartwatch for at least two weeks every month.
measure: Sleep score
timeFrame: Measurements will be taken continuously for 12 months. Participants will be asked to wear their smartwatch for at least two weeks every month.
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Ouagadougou
country: Burkina Faso
facility: Ouagadougou Health and Demographic Surveillance System
Study officials:
affiliation: Heidelberg University
name: Aditi Bunker, Doctor of Phylosophy (Ph.D)
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: