Tests air conditioners and electricity subsidies for older adults in Boston heat
Tests air conditioners in older adults without them, comparing heat-related health effects during hot summers.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: Beat the Heat Boston
Key facts
- Where
- Boston, United StatesSee the site
Could this be for you?
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 55 and 95 years old?
Source: NCT06982339, who can take part
Where in United States
- Harvard TH Chan School of Public HealthBoston, United StatesTaking people
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Trial details
- Who runs it
- Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH)
- Trial code
- NCT06982339
- Record updated
- 22 January 2026
- Original description
The goal of this stepped wedge trial is to assess the practical effects of air conditioners on hot weather impacts among older adults. The main questions it aims to answer are:Read full original descriptionShow less
Beat the Heat: Impacts of Heat on Health in Boston and Strategies to Address Them
The goal of this stepped wedge trial is to assess the practical effects of air conditioners on hot weather impacts among older adults. The main questions it aims to answer are:
How does the presence of an air conditioning unit affect heat stress, heat strain, mental health, and healthcare utilization among older adults who did not previously have access to air conditioning?
How, and in what conditioners, do older adults use air conditioning once it is installed in their home?
Researchers will compare participants in arms with (A) and without (B) air conditioning units in the first summer season; this will allow them to assess the effect of air conditioners. In the second summer season, both arms will have air conditioning units, but those in the year two distribution arm (B) will receive an electricity subsidy, while those in the year one AC distribution arm (A) will not, allowing researchers to assess the effect of an electricity subsidy.
Participants will be randomized to receive an air conditioner and financial support for electricity costs in either the first summer season or the second summer season of the study.
* Heat stress, heat strain, mental health, and healthcare utilization will be assessed via participant survey. * Air conditioner utilization will be assessed via continuous load monitoring devices. * Indoor air temperature will be assessed via continuous data loggers.
Inclusion: reside in Roxbury, Dorchester, East Boston or Mattapan MA; age 55-95 years old; speak English or Spanish; do not have air conditioning in the home; living with at least one of the following conditions: chronic CVD (hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, history of stroke or myocardial infarction, atrial fibrillation, or heart failure), chronic pulmonary disease (asthma, COPD/emphysema, interstitial lung disease), chronic neurologic disease (stroke, Parkinson's disease, or other chronic neurologic conditions), chronic mental health conditions (including anxiety disorder, major depression, bipolar disorder), and/or history of hospitalization (defined as spending at least one night in the hospital) for any reason within the past three years.
Exclusion: Lack a location in their home suitable for installation of the AC unit provided during the research study.