Housing, Insulation and Health Study (HIHS)

February 20, 2007 updated by: University of Otago

The Impact of Insulating Domestic Houses on the Health of Occupants: an Intervention Study

In six communities we will seek out households where someone who has a history of respiratory problems. For the first winter we will measure temperature and humidity of the house and health of occupants. We will insulate half the houses and the next winter compare them with the uninsulated houses to see if warmer houses improve health.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Damp, cold indoor environments are bad for the health of people who live in them, particularly if they have respiratory problems or are vulnerable, such as the young or the very old. This is a community based study designed to test the hypothesis that insulating domestic houses will make them warmer and that this increase in indoor temperature will improve their health and wellbeing.

Following two pilot studies, the first among older people in city council flats and the second among home owners in Waitara. We have followed the "Waitara model" where community networks will be mobilised to identify households in each community where there is someone with a on going respiratory problem. Seven communities have been selected to help test these hypotheses and have agreed to participate Otara, Gisborne, Mahia/Nuhaka, Taranaki, Porirua, West Coast and Christchurch. Low income areas with high Maori populations have been deliberately selected to maximise the potential health gains.

Two hundred houses in each community will be insulated free of charge to the occupants. The workers who will insulate the homes will be local people employed through the Department of Work and Income (WINZ).

Once the houesholds are selected they will be randomly assigned to intervention or control groups. During the first winter, all 1400 households will be monitored for temperature and humidity and their comfort, health and healthcare utilization will be recorded. Half the households, assigned to the intervention group, will be fully insulated during the spring. The following winter, all the initial measurements taken from both the intervention and control group will be repeated. At the end of the study period, all control houses will be insulated.

This study has developed from a natural intervention being carried out by the Energy Efficiency Conservation Authority (EECA) to insulate domestic houses in New Zealand and is a major collaborative effort, which will shed light on the effectiveness of insulation in improving health and wellbeing. The impact of housing refurbishment on health has not previously been examined. There is considerable government and policy interest in promoting healthy housing and there is strong community interest in ensuring the housing stock is improved in order to lower health risks.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment

4000

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • New Zealand
      • Christchurch, New Zealand
        • Crown Public Health
    • Auckland
      • Otara, Auckland, New Zealand
        • Otara Health Inc
    • East Coast
      • Mahia/Nuhaka, East Coast, New Zealand
        • Te Iwi O Rakaipaaka
      • Mahia/Nuhaka, East Coast, New Zealand
        • Te Wahine O Kahungungu
    • Gisborne
      • Opotiki, Gisborne, New Zealand
        • Opotiki Trade Training
    • Taranaki
      • New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand
        • Te Puni Kokiri
    • Wellington
      • Porirua, Wellington, New Zealand
        • Porirua Housing Action Group
    • West Coast
      • Rata - Hokitika, West Coast, New Zealand
        • Maori Womans Welfare League

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Live in Study area
  • At least one person in the household must had had respiratory illness within the last year, well members of the same household may also participate
  • house currently uninsulated
  • interested in taking part in research

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Intending to move within study period

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Self reported general health, During the first winter post intervention
Indoor temperature and relative humidity, During the first winter post intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Energy consumption, During the first winter post intervention
Wheezing, During the first winter post intervention
Days off school and work, During the first winter post intervention
GP visits, During the first winter post intervention
Inpatient hospital admissions, During the first winter post intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Otago

Investigators

  • Study Director: Philippa L Howden-Chapman, PhD, University of Otago
  • Principal Investigator: Julian Crane, FRCP, University of Otago
  • Principal Investigator: Michael G Baker, FRACMA, University of Otago
  • Principal Investigator: Chris Cunningham, PhD, Massey University
  • Principal Investigator: Kay Saville-Smith, MA Hons, CRESA
  • Principal Investigator: Nick Waipara, PhD, Landcare Research Limited
  • Principal Investigator: Alistair Woodward, PhD, University of Otago
  • Principal Investigator: Des O'Dea, BSc Hons, University of Otago
  • Principal Investigator: Tony Blakely, PhD, University of Otago
  • Principal Investigator: Cheryl Brunton, FAFPHM, University of Otago

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

July 1, 2001

Study Completion

December 1, 2002

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 20, 2007

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 20, 2007

First Posted (Estimate)

February 21, 2007

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

February 21, 2007

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 20, 2007

Last Verified

February 1, 2007

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • Insulation study
  • 01/06/068

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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