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Behavioural Intervention

Cooling Strategies for Heat Stress

N/A

Recruiting

Research Sponsored by University of Ottawa

Eligibility Criteria Checklist

Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial

Must have

Be older than 18 years old

Must not have

Use of medication deemed to significantly modulate thermoregulatory function and heat tolerance (e.g., antidepressants, antihistamines, diuretics)

Timeline

Screening 3 weeks

Treatment Varies

Follow Up end of continuous work bout as defined when core temperature reaches 38.0°c or when the maximum of 240 minutes of continuous exercise is achieved

Awards & highlights

No Placebo-Only Group

Summary

This trial will assess the effectiveness of different cooling strategies in preventing workers from getting too hot while working in a hot environment. The study will involve participants walking on a treadmill until their core temperature reaches a certain

Who is the study for?

This trial is for healthy adults who can safely perform moderate-intensity work in hot conditions. Participants should be able to tolerate heat and engage in simulated work tasks on a treadmill. Those with medical conditions that could be worsened by heat, or who cannot follow the study's procedures, are not eligible.

What is being tested?

The study tests how effective different cooling strategies are during rest breaks for workers exposed to high temperatures. It compares no cooling, partial cooling (like sitting in shade), and full cooling (like being in an air-conditioned space) after working until they're too hot or tired.

What are the potential side effects?

Since this trial involves exposure to heat stress and physical activity, side effects may include symptoms of overheating such as dizziness, headache, nausea, muscle cramps, fatigue or more serious conditions like heat stroke if core temperature regulation fails.

Eligibility Criteria

Exclusion Criteria

You may be eligible for the trial if you check “No” for criteria below:

Select...

I am not taking medications that affect my body's ability to regulate temperature.

Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks3 visits

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~ end of continuous work bout as defined when core temperature reaches 38.0°c or when the maximum of 240 minutes of continuous exercise is achieved

Screening ~ 3 weeks

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~end of continuous work bout as defined when core temperature reaches 38.0°c or when the maximum of 240 minutes of continuous exercise is achieved

This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and end of continuous work bout as defined when core temperature reaches 38.0°c or when the maximum of 240 minutes of continuous exercise is achieved for reporting.

Treatment Details

Study Objectives

Study objectives can provide a clearer picture of what you can expect from a treatment.

Primary study objectives

Average core temperature during work-rest allocations

Average heart rate during work-rest allocations

Average skin temperature during work-rest allocations

+10 more

Awards & Highlights

No Placebo-Only Group

All patients enrolled in this study will receive some form of active treatment.

Trial Design

3Treatment groups

Experimental Treatment

Active Control

Group I: Partial coolingExperimental Treatment1 Intervention

Participants perform a continuous heavy-intensity work bout (metabolic rate of \~200 W/m2) until core temperature reaches 38.0°C (equivalent to a 1°C increase in body core temperature above resting levels), which is immediately followed by intermittent work using a 1:3 work-rest allocation, starting with a 45 min rest break followed by a 15 min work bout for an additional 180-min of work with partial cooling equivalent to sitting in a shaded space (WBGT 24°C; 31.7°C and 35% RH) such as under a tree with a light breeze (simulated with pedestal fan fixed at \~2 m/s).

Group II: Full coolingExperimental Treatment1 Intervention

Participants perform a continuous heavy-intensity work bout (metabolic rate of \~200 W/m2) until core temperature reaches 38.0°C (equivalent to a 1°C increase in body core temperature above resting levels), which is immediately followed by intermittent work using a 1:3 work-rest allocation, starting with a 45 min rest break followed by a 15 min work bout for an additional 180-min of work with full cooling equivalent to sitting in air-conditioned space (e.g., room or vehicle) maintained at 22°C and 35% RH (equivalent WBGT of 16°C).

Group III: No coolingActive Control1 Intervention

Participants perform a continuous moderate-intensity work bout (metabolic rate of \~200 W/m2) until core temperature reaches 38.0°C (equivalent to a 1°C increase in body core temperature above resting levels), which is immediately followed by intermittent work using a 1:3 work-rest allocation, starting with a 45 min rest break followed by a 15 min work bout for an additional 180-min of work without cooling.

0 / 1Eligibility criteria met