Assessing the Effects of Cool Roofs on Indoor Environments and Health

Summary

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.

Conditions

• Resting Heart Rate
• Blood Glucose Control
• Depression
• Heat-related Symptoms
• Physician Diagnosed Heat-related Illnesses
• Food Insecurity
• Diet Quality
• Health-related Quality of Life
• Indoor Thermal Comfort
• Coping Ability
• Life Satisfaction
• Healthcare Provider Utilization
• Hospitalization
• Systolic Blood Pressure
• Diastolic Blood Pressure
• Inner Ear Canal Temperature
• Dehydration
• Sleep Quality
• Cognition
• Productivity
• Aggression
• Indoor Air Temperature
• Indoor Relative Humidity
• Indoor Heat Index
• Household Energy Expenditure

Interventions

OTHER

Cool roof

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).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Sika Services AG

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• SOPREMA

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Engineered Polymer Solutions (EPS B.V.)

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Resene

  collaborator INDUSTRY

• Pacific Community

  collaborator OTHER

• Habitat for Humanity

  collaborator OTHER

• The Tindall Foundation

  collaborator OTHER

• Rutgers University

  collaborator OTHER

• Boston University

  collaborator OTHER

• London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

  collaborator OTHER

• Heidelberg University

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

  collaborator OTHER

• Indian Institute of Public Health, India

  collaborator OTHER

• Fiji National University

  collaborator OTHER

• Universidad de Colima

  collaborator OTHER

• Aditi Bunker

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Collin Tukuitonga, Sir. Dr. · University of Auckland, New Zealand

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-09-04

Primary Completion

2027-09-30

Completion

2027-09-30

Countries

• Burkina Faso
• Fiji
• India
• Mexico
• Niue

Study Locations