Home care workers’ health risks of exposure to heat waves: Solutions for human adaptation to climate change in the context of working life extension

Home care workers’ health risks of exposure to heat waves: Solutions for human adaptation to climate change in the context of working life extension - REHEAT

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

DRKS

Registry ID

DRKS00037334

Enrollment

440

Registered

2025-07-15

Start date

2025-06-06

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2026-02-02

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

No illness

Interventions

Group 1: Intervention "Heat adaptation strategies" (Access to a smartphone application during 4 months) Group 2: Control group (without intervention)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Working in home care in summer 2025; be able to wear a smartwatch day and night; have a smartphone and be willing to install an app on it

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: be younger than 18 years old; anyone with a pacemaker is excluded (due to the impossibility of measuring heart rate variability)

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Strain Accumulation: Assessed through smartwatch-based heart rate metrics, self-reported perceptions, and daily activity diaries, with particular attention to differences between heatwave and baseline days. Cognitive Performance: Measured via a short, task-based online test administered daily, focusing on changes during heatwave days compared to baseline. Emotional Distress: Evaluated using validated self-report scales administered daily, with a focus on variations during heatwave versus baseline days. Sleep: Assessed using smartwatch heart rate data, daily diaries, and pre- and post-intervention questionnaires. Key indicators include perceived sleep quality, objective sleep duration, bedtime and wake-up times, circadian disruption, and night-time recovery metrics. Mental and Physical Health: Measured through validated self-report scales administered daily, emphasizing differences between heatwave and baseline days. Burnout is also assessed using validated scales administered via pre- and post-intervention questionnaires	—

Measure

Time frame

Strain Accumulation: Assessed through smartwatch-based heart rate metrics, self-reported perceptions, and daily activity diaries, with particular attention to differences between heatwave and baseline days. Cognitive Performance: Measured via a short, task-based online test administered daily, focusing on changes during heatwave days compared to baseline. Emotional Distress: Evaluated using validated self-report scales administered daily, with a focus on variations during heatwave versus baseline days. Sleep: Assessed using smartwatch heart rate data, daily diaries, and pre- and post-intervention questionnaires. Key indicators include perceived sleep quality, objective sleep duration, bedtime and wake-up times, circadian disruption, and night-time recovery metrics. Mental and Physical Health: Measured through validated self-report scales administered daily, emphasizing differences between heatwave and baseline days. Burnout is also assessed using validated scales administered via pre- and post-intervention questionnaires

—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Intervention Compliance: Tracked through automatically recorded usage data, reflecting the frequency of interactions with different functions and sections of the study app. Manipulation Check: Includes self-reported lifestyle measures and passively collected behavioral proxies (e.g., hydration and nutrition patterns) that are expected to change as a direct result of treatment exposure.	—

Countries

Switzerland

Contacts

Public ContactIsabel Baumann

Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW)

isabel.baumann@zhaw.ch+41 (0) 58 934 43 95

Outcome results

None listed

Source: DRKS (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 7, 2026