Assessing the Effect of Cool Roofs on Health Using Smartwatches in Niue

NCT06571019 | Completed DMC

• 2 other identifiers: 3728161226745/Z/22/Z
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 187
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Ambient air temperatures in the Pacific 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 in the Pacific 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 use may promote heart health, sleep and physical activity in household occupants. The long-term research goal of the investigators is to identify viable passive housing adaptation technologies with proven health benefits to reduce the burden of heat stress in communities affected by heat in Niue. To meet this goal, the investigators will conduct a randomized controlled trial to establish the effects of cool roof use on heart rate, sleep and physical activity in Niue.

Conditions

Heart Rate; All-day Steps; Distance Walked; Active Minutes; Moderate-intensity Activity Minutes; Sleep Quantity; Time in Sleep Stages; Awake Duration; Sleep Score; Vigorous-intensity Activity Duration

Keywords

Hot Temperature; Humidity; Housing; Wearable; Smartwatch; Heart rate; Cardiovascular; Physical activity; Sleep; Cool roof; Heat stress

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Heart rate

  Heart rate in beats per minute measured at 15-second intervals using Garmin Vivosmart 5 devices.

  Smartwatches will be worn for two consecutive weeks per month. Eight measurement points will be taken: one at baseline and seven over 12 months, covering three consecutive hottest months and four alternate months.

Secondary Outcomes (9)

• All-day steps

  Smartwatches will be worn for two consecutive weeks per month. Eight measurement points will be taken: one at baseline and seven over 12 months, covering three consecutive hottest months and four alternate months.

• Active minutes

  Smartwatches will be worn for two consecutive weeks per month. Eight measurement points will be taken: one at baseline and seven over 12 months, covering three consecutive hottest months and four alternate months.

• Distance walked

  Smartwatches will be worn for two consecutive weeks per month. Eight measurement points will be taken: one at baseline and seven over 12 months, covering three consecutive hottest months and four alternate months.

• Moderate-intensity activity minutes

  MeasuSmartwatches will be worn for two consecutive weeks per month. Eight measurement points will be taken: one at barements will be taken continuously for 12 months. Participants will be asked to wear their smartwatch for at least two weeks every month.

• Vigorous-intensity activity duration

  Smartwatches will be worn for two consecutive weeks per month. Eight measurement points will be taken: one at baseline and seven over 12 months, covering three consecutive hottest months and four alternate months.

Study Arms (2)

Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Households will receive sunlight reflecting 'cool roof' coating on their roofs.

Other: Cool roof

Control

NO INTERVENTION

No cool roof application. Households will keep their original roofing for the duration of the trial.

Interventions

Cool roof OTHER

Cool roofs are a heat-reflecting material that can be applied to existing household roofing in the form of a liquid-applied membrane. Cool roofs work by increasing solar reflectance (the ability to reflect the visible wavelengths of sunlight, reducing heat transfer to the surface) and thermal emittance (the ability to radiate absorbed solar energy) thereby reducing the amount of heat transferred into the home.

Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Participant criteria:
• Consenting adult aged 18 years and over.
• Expected to be available to participate in the study for at least nine months in the next 12 months.
• Willing and able to wear a smartwatch.
• Household criteria:
• House has a metal roof.
• House is single-story.

You may not qualify if:

• Participant criteria:
• One participant per household
• Does not have a smartphone with an internet connection that can connect to the smartwatch.
• Household criteria:
• Unstable house structure that does not permit the application of cool roof materials.
• Inaccessible by the research team.
• Significant roof damage defined as any penetrative roof defect that results in a hole in the roof OR over 25% of the roof rusted.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Aditi Bunker: lead
• Heidelberg University: collaborator
• London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine: collaborator
• Rutgers University: collaborator
• Secretaría de Educación Pública, México: collaborator
• University of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso: collaborator
• Indian Institute of Public Health, India: collaborator
• Labfront: collaborator
• Cognifit: collaborator
• Resene: collaborator
• Habitat for Humanity: collaborator
• The Tindall Foundation: collaborator
• Pacific Community: collaborator
• Wellcome Trust: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of Auckland

Auckland, Niue

Location

Related Links

• Related Info

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Motor Activity; Heat Stress Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior; Wounds and Injuries

Study Officials

• Collin Tukuitonga, Sir. Dr.

  University of Auckland, New Zealand

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: Trial participants will be aware of the intervention to which they have been allocated, and the research fieldworkers will be aware of the intervention allocation. The trial steering committee members and trial statistician will remain blinded until the end of trial period and data collection.
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Co-Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 22, 2024
• First Posted: August 26, 2024
• Study Start: September 4, 2024
• Primary Completion: January 31, 2026
• Study Completion: January 31, 2026
• Last Updated: February 27, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-02

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ICF, CSR
• Time Frame: At the time of publication.

Locations

NI (1)