Heat risks for firefighters and older adults
Research Project-1
['FUNDING_OTHER'] · UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI · NIH-11199011
This project looks at how heat affects firefighters and older adults by using wearable sensors, surveys, and blood and nasal samples to link heat exposure with symptoms and recovery.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_OTHER'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (CINCINNATI, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11199011 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
If you take part, you would wear sensors that track body temperature, heart rate, and heart rate variability before, during, and after heat exposure. For firefighters, researchers will monitor 24 participants during live burn training and collect surveys and neurological tests for fatigue, balance, and gait, plus blood and nasal swabs at set time points. If you are an older adult in the target neighborhoods, you would provide self-reported symptoms, allow wearable monitoring of indoor/outdoor heat, and give biological samples. The team will combine the wearable data, surveys, and transcriptomic signatures to understand who gets sick from heat and how recovery differs between people.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are adult firefighters who do live burn training and older adults living in Cincinnati or nearby Midwest/Appalachian neighborhoods who experience high indoor or outdoor heat.
Not a fit: People not exposed to significant heat (including many indoor workers, children, or those living outside the study region) or those with conditions outside the project’s focus are unlikely to receive direct benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: This work could help create personalized heat-safety guidance, early warnings, and medical markers to prevent or speed recovery from heat-related illness.
How similar studies have performed: Wearable monitoring and symptom surveys have been used to detect heat strain before, but pairing continuous biometrics with blood and nasal transcriptomics in firefighters and seniors is a newer and less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
CINCINNATI, UNITED STATES
- UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI — CINCINNATI, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: LEIKAUF, GEORGE DOUGLAS — UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI
- Study coordinator: LEIKAUF, GEORGE DOUGLAS
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.