An interventional study of Solar reflective paint and Bamboo ceiling with polyethylene foam in Heat Cramps, Heat Rash and Heat Exhaustion, sponsored by BRAC University. Recruiting at 2 sites in Bangladesh. Open to participants aged 7 Years to 14 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-16.
Sponsored by BRAC University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention
The goal of this clinical trial is to assess the impact of implementing a combination of heat education and school-based physical infrastructure interventions in reducing heat related illnesses and improving educational outcomes among primary school children aged 7-14 years in two climate-vulnerable districts of Bangladesh.
The main questions it aims to answer are:
Whether different combinations of heat education and physical infrastructure interventions can reduce indoor classroom temperatures and heat-related illnesses and improve the health and mental well-being of primary school children.
Whether these interventions can improve educational outcomes among primary school children and provide cost-effective and scalable solutions for heat mitigation in low-resource settings.
Researchers will compare different combinations of interventions, including: (1) heat education with solar reflective paint, (2) heat education with bamboo ceiling and polyethylene foam, and (3) heat education with both solar reflective paint and bamboo ceiling with polyethylene foam, to assess their relative cost-effectiveness.
The interventions will be implemented in BRAC Education Programme-run primary schools in Gaibandha and Kurigram districts. Children will be the primary participants of the study. Researchers will assess changes in classroom indoor temperature, heat-related health outcomes and mental well-being among children, as well as their school attendance and academic performance. The study will also explore potential scalability of the interventions in similar settings.
113 studies on the registry are indexed under Heat Stress Disorders; 46 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 2,875 is above the median of 24 across 99 interventional studies indexed under Heat Stress Disorders.
Browse Heat Stress Disorders studies →BRAC University is the lead sponsor of 5 studies on the registry; 3 are open to participants now.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Other: Solar reflective paint · Behavioral: Heat education toolkit
Other: Bamboo ceiling with polyethylene foam · Behavioral: Heat education toolkit
Other: Solar reflective paint · Other: Bamboo ceiling with polyethylene foam · Behavioral: Heat education toolkit
Behavioral: Heat education toolkit
Solar reflective paint is a special type of paint used to lower surface temperature in tin-roofs. It works by generating an obstacle between the sun and the tin-roofs. It has ingredients (colour particles) that are designed to reflect ultraviolet (UV) rays of the sun. When it is used in a tin-roof house, it reduces the impact of direct sunlight on the surface of the tin roof and decrease internal temperature of the house.
Bamboo ceiling combined with polyethylene foam will be utilized for thermal insulation in tin-roof houses. Bamboo, known for its natural insulation properties, acts as a barrier between the tin roof and living space, providing passive cooling. Polyethylene foam further prevents heat transfer, enhancing the insulation. The combination of these materials creates a two-layer system, which is hypothesized to be more effective at reducing indoor temperatures than using either material alone.
The heat education toolkit will be co-created by the research team with input from students, government and non-government stakeholders, parents, teachers, and healthcare providers. The toolkit will be used in the classrooms to educate students on the negative impacts of heatwaves and how to cope with it. The lessons will be interactive and cover different topics such as what is a heatwave, why heatwaves occur, the effects of heatwaves on the environment and humans, and what can be done to minimize the impacts of heatwaves.
Incidence of Heat Rash
* Case Definition: Inflammatory skin condition caused by blocked sweat glands, commonly occurring in hot and humid conditions. * Diagnostic Criteria: * Red, itchy rash or tiny blisters on chest, back, neck, or other covered areas * Occurs after sweating or prolonged heat exposure * May be described by the child as prickly, itchy, or burning * Outcome Threshold: Presence of a red, itchy rash or blisters in covered areas following heat exposure, as reported by the child or caregiver or observed directly.
Time frame: April to November each year during 2025-2027
Incidence of Heat Cramps
* Case Definition: Painful, involuntary muscle spasms caused by salt loss through sweating, typically after physical activity. * Diagnostic Criteria: * Complaints of muscle cramps or spasms in legs, arms, or abdomen * Occurs after physical exertion in a hot environment * Often accompanied by heavy sweating * Outcome Threshold: Reported or observed muscle pain or spasms following activity in hot conditions, in the absence of severe systemic symptoms.
Time frame: April to November each year during 2025-2027
Incidence of Heat Exhaustion
* Case Definition: Heat-related illness resulting from water or salt depletion, leading to fatigue and inability to continue activity, without altered mental status. * Diagnostic Criteria: * At least two of the following symptoms: * Weakness or fatigue * Headache * Nausea or vomiting * Dizziness * Muscle cramps * Heavy sweating * No confusion, disorientation, or unconsciousness * Body temperature less than 40°C * Outcome Threshold: Two or more qualifying symptoms after heat exposure, with normal mental status and no high fever (≥40°C), as reported or observed.
Time frame: April to November each year during 2025-2027
Incidence of Heat stress
Time frame: April to November each year during 2025-2027
Incidence of Heat Anxiety
Time frame: April to November each year during 2025-2027
Academic performance
Time frame: April to January each year during 2025-2028
School absenteeism
Time frame: April to January each year during 2025-2028
Cases of pneumonia
Time frame: April to November each year during 2025-2027
Cases of diarrhoea
Time frame: April to November each year during 2025-2027
Plan to share: Yes — Deidentified data will be shared with other study team members for joint analysis and publications.
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Started May 2025 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Jan 2028, 32 months after the start.
Of 69 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Heat Stress Disorders, half reached primary completion within 16 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 5 and three quarters within 27. This study's planned 32 months is above that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 69 studies reached it within 16 months; a quarter within 5 and three quarters within 27.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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