The effects of passive home cooling interventions on health, behavioural and economic outcomes in rural Africa

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Adaptation is essential for mitigating adverse human health effects from increasing heat exposure. The populations and communities least able to adapt – in particular, people living in the Sahel region – are also experiencing the most extreme heat exposures worldwide. In our trial in the first phase of the DFG research unit on ‘Climate change and health’, we found that sunlight-reflecting coof-roof coatings reduce roof temperatures by 10-15 ºC and indoor air temperatures by 2 ºC to 3 ºC during daytime – making ‘cool roofs’ an ideal climate change adaptation intervention in rural Burkina Faso and other communities in the Sahel region. The daytime temperature reductions, however, did not persist into the night. Our research goal in this second phase of the research unit is thus to identify optimal strategies for reducing indoor temperatures at during the critical night-time hours of sleep and rest. To achieve this goal, we will pursue five specific research objectives: To (1) Demonstrate the technical feasibility of candidate ventilation approaches given the vernacular architecture and local needs in rural Burkina Faso – using quantitative design and simulation studies, (2) Identify the perceptions and cultural acceptability and desirability of different ventilation technologies in rural Burkina Faso – using qualitative design studies, (3) Elucidate mechanisms of ventilation in affecting indoor temperature and air velocity in houses with and without cool roofs in rural Burkina Faso – using a matched-pair mechanism study, (4) Establish the causal effects of ventilation with and without cool roof on health, behavioural, house climate and socio-economic outcomes in rural Burkina Faso – using a randomized controlled trial, and (5) Establish the long-term effects of cool roofs in rural Burkina Faso on health and well-being – using a randomized controlled trial. Our research will provide critical data to support climate-vulnerable resource-poor populations in Burkina Faso and the wider Sahel region in successful climate change adaptation.