Heat Illness
Conditions
Keywords
Extreme Heat, Rural Preparedness, Community Engaged Research, Community-Based Participatory Research
Brief summary
Extreme heat events pose serious health risks, especially for communities with limited access to cooling, transportation, or social support. This study pilots and tests HEATwise, a heat preparedness program delivered at trusted community centers in Lake County, California, serving older adults, Tribal members, and people experiencing housing or economic hardship. HEATwise is a 12-week program which includes a group workshop on heat risks and preparedness, one-on-one resource navigation, a community celebration event, and a cooling and emergency supply kit. The pilot phase (2026) will assess feasibility and acceptability at three sites with approximately 60 participants. The full trial (2027-2028) will randomly assign eight sites to receive HEATwise immediately or after a delay, measuring whether the program increases protective behaviors, reduces heat-related symptoms, and strengthens resilience over 12 months.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALCHARM HeatWise
HEATWise consists of structured, facilitator-led training sessions on extreme heat preparedness and response, distribution of heat resilience kits, and community engagement activities designed to promote protective behaviors. The intervention is delivered at the cluster (site) level in community-based settings and focuses on reducing risk of heat-related illness and improving individual and community resilience.
Sponsors
Public Health Institute, California
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
This study uses a cluster randomized, parallel assignment, waitlist-controlled design. Community-based sites serving rural, underserved populations are randomized to either immediate implementation of the Helping Everyone Adapt Together-Wise (HEATWise) or to a waitlist control condition. Participants at control sites complete baseline and follow-up assessments during the six-month evaluation period and receive the intervention after primary outcome data collection is completed. Randomization occurs at the site level to reduce contamination, and analyses account for clustering.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Eligible participants are adults (≥18 years) who have resided in Lake County for at least 6 months, are able to access a phone for study communications, and are willing to provide a valid secondary contact for the duration of the study.
Exclusion criteria
* Participants must also be a recognized member or affiliate of a articipating site, referred by the site, or reside within 5 miles of the site. Individuals are excluded if another household member is already enrolled in the study, if they cannot provide a secondary or emergency contact, are unable to independently complete study activities, or plan to be away for 15 or more consecutive days during the intervention period.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Symptoms | 3-months post-intervention | Change in self-reported heat-illness symptoms: "Self-reported heat stress measure". Range 0-8, with higher scores indicating higher heat stress |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in individual and community resilience scores: "Communities Advancing Resilience Toolkit" | Baseline to 15-months post-enrollment (12-month follow-up period) | 35 items community resilience measure, outcome is mean score from 1-5 (strongly disagree-strongly agree); 19 items individual resilience measure - outcome is mean score from 1-5 (strongly disagree-strongly agree) |
Countries
United States
Contacts
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORMichelle Wong
Public Health Institute
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORSusan Paulukonis
Public Health Institute
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORSarah Ryan
Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians
Outcome results
None listed