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Niue householders are taking part in a climate health survey involving the roofs of their houses and whether reflective white roof paint provides relief from extreme heat.
Half of the participating houses have had their roofs painted, while the other half are in the research control group, which will get cool roofs if they prove effective.
Dr Noah Bunkley, from the University of Auckland's Centre for Pacific and Global Health, said they are studying places affected by extreme heat, including Mexico, India, Burkina Faso, and Niue.
"They all experience really high temperatures and have...low resourced communites that potentially lack the capacity to adapt to a changing climate and increasing temperatures," he said.
"Niue gets temperatures about 32 degrees [Celsius] but with really high humidity, so that's equal to a dry temperature of about 45 degrees."
People aged over 18 in the research households will have physical health assessments for a year and cognitive tests.
Dr Bunkley said heat increases the risk of health problems, such as heart disease, kidney failure, heat stroke, and diabetes.
"We're doing a range of surveys that involve questions around comfort, physical health, mental health, diet, productivity, hospital use - alongside physical examinations looking at heart rate, blood pressure, core temperature and doing one blood test looking at markers for diabetes.
"We're thinking of all the impacts heat has on people's lives and measuring to see if cool roofs have an influence."
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The project aims to generate evidence which could be used to seek funding in the future, so the project could be rolled out across areas of the world where heat has become a health threat.
The Niue research has been supported with grants from the Tindall Foundation, Habitat for Humanity and The Pacific Community.
Results from the research are expected early next year.
