Work Package 3

This WP will be responsible for the selection of the child participants in the epidemiological arm of the project. These will be from existing cohorts in Durban and Haramaya and establish the new cohort in Harare. Samples of 300 children in the range 8 -10 years of age will be selected in each of the study sites across the three countries.

The WP will invite participants, and obtain necessary consent from caregivers and assents from children.

The WP will establish technical teams to conduct assessments, and train team as required. Tests of lung function will be performed among all participants. Standard spirometry, fractional exhaled nitric oxide and impulse oscillometry will be conducted over two time cycles, in the hot and cold months of the year, over the first 18 months of the project.

Direct measures of heat stress and physiological effects of heat exposure among the participating children will be measured using continuous accelerometer and heart rate monitors, to determine physical activity levels and biomarkers to assess dehydration.

Using the exposure metrics from WP2, this WP will perform exposure-outcome analysis