Blood PressureSHEARNCT05668624
Sustainable Household Energy Adoption in Rwanda (SHEAR)
A study testing Clean household energy in people with Blood Pressure and Lung Function, run by Colorado State University at 1 site in Rwanda.
Trial summary
Investigators will conduct a randomized controlled trial substituting traditional forms of household energy (biomass for cooking and kerosene for lighting) with liquified petroleum gas (LPG) stoves/fuel and solar power (in areas marker for solar grids by the Government of Rwanda) in rural Rwanda. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 8 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Blood Pressure, Lung Function
- What is being tested?
- Clean household energy
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 1,680 participants
- Where
- 1 siteRwanda
- Study dates
- 17 Nov 2022to 22 Aug 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 8 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- This research will recruit and enroll 650 households (250 households in the full subsidy arm; 250 households in the control arm; 150 households in the discount subsidy arm).
- The household level inclusion criteria is as follows:
- Home resides in the study area of Isangano and Karambi
- Uses biomass as primary cooking fuel
- Either both an adult male (at least 18 years old) and female (at least 18 years old), or just one adult (at least 18 years old), head(s) of household willing to consent and at least one child between 8 and 15 years of age willing to assent; We will recruit the younger child in families with more than one child between 8-15 years of age. We will also confirm the child is living at home throughout the year and not attending boarding school elsewhere.
- No commercial cooking
Show all 10Show fewer
- No smoking in the household
- Additional participant level inclusion is as follows:
- Not planning to move in 3-year timeframe
- Not currently pregnant (females); Note: If the female becomes pregnant during the study she will not be able to participate in any visits that occur during her pregnancy but she will be able to participate after she has given birth. However, if there is another adult in the household then this will not preclude the other two people (i.e., the other adult and the child) from continuing to participate throughout that time.
Who cannot join
- The household level exclusion criteria is as follows:
- Home resides outside the study area
- Uses clean fuel as primary cooking fuel
- Participants outside the age ranges: Adult male (at least 18 years old) and female (at least 18 years old) heads of household willing to consent and at least one child between 8 and 15 years of age willing to assent
- Conducts commercial cooking
- Smoking members of the household
Show all 9Show fewer
- Additional participant level exclusion is as follows:
- Planning to move in 3-year timeframe
- Currently pregnant (females)
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
Rwanda1 site
Field site in Rwanda (Isangano and Karambi)
Ndego, Eastern Province, 80521
About this study
Official title: Sustainable Household Energy Adoption in Rwanda (SHEAR): Promoting Rural Health With Solar and Natural Gas
Investigators will conduct a randomized controlled trial substituting traditional forms of household energy (biomass for cooking and kerosene for lighting) with liquified petroleum gas (LPG) stoves/fuel and solar power (in areas marker for solar grids by the Government of Rwanda) in rural Rwanda. Eligible households (n=650) using traditional forms of energy will be recruited from eastern Rwanda. In each household, investigators will recruit either one adult female and one adult male or just one adult, and one child (aged 8-15 years). Following baseline health and exposure assessment, a randomized treatment arm (n=250 homes) will receive a full subsidy for LPG fuel and solar power, a control arm (n=250 homes) will continue to use traditional energy, and a random-subsidy arm (n=150 homes) will be randomized to a discounted price (at baseline and every 6-months) for solar and LPG in a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) service model (i.e., pre-pay a desired amount through mobile money). The random subsidy arm will then decide whether or not to cook with the discounted LPG or their traditional stove. Participants will be followed for 3 years with repeated measures of household air pollution (HAP) exposure (48-hour fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and black carbon (BC)), energy use, health, and preferences. Primary health endpoints include blood pressure (BP) in adults and lung-function growth in children; secondary endpoints include BP in children and lung-function change in adults. To complement the trial, the random-subsidy arm will generate policy-relevant information on causal relationships between energy costs, solar and LPG usage, and HAP exposures. The investigators propose 3 aims:
Aim 1. In an ITT framework, investigators will evaluate the effect of a household energy intervention on exposure to HAP and indicators of morbidity separately among Rwandan women, men, and children within n=500 households.
Read more
Aim 2. Using exposure-response modeling, investigators will characterize associations between exposure to HAP and indicators of morbidity separately among Rwandan women, men, and children within n=650 households (500 trial households + 150 random subsidy households).
Aim 3. Using a random-encouragement design, investigators will investigate causal relationships between randomized energy costs, measured energy usage, and estimated exposure to HAP among n=400 households (150 random subsidy households + 250 full subsidy treatment arm households).
- Conditions
- Blood Pressure, Lung Function
- Being tested
- Clean household energy
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Clean household energyOther
LPG stoves/fuel for cooking and solar electricity for lighting
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Full Subsidy Arm | Experimental | This arm receives free LPG and stove for cooking following the baseline measures, for the duration of the 3-year follow-up period. For those households in Government of Rwanda designated areas for solar microgrids, this arm will also be connected to and provided free access to solar electricity for lighting. Receives: Other: Clean household energy |
| Control Arm | No intervention | This arm will remain using traditional forms of energy for cooking and lighting. |
| Discount Subsidy Arm | Experimental | This arm will be randomized to a discounted price (at baseline and every 6-months during the 3-year study) for solar electricity (in areas marker for solar grids by the Government of Rwanda) and LPG gas in a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) service model (i.e., pre-pay an affordable amount through mobile money, a common form of currency transactions in Rwanda). For example, this arm will be asked to cook as normal and decide whether or not to cook with the discounted LPG or their traditional stove (i.e., they will not be required to pay for LPG). Receives: Other: Clean household energy |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change in systolic blood pressure (adults)
Measured: Blood pressure will be measured approx. every 6 months for the 3-year follow-up period
Spirometry (children): FEV1 trajectory
Measured: Spirometry will be measured approx. every 6 months for the 3-year follow-up period
Spirometry (children): FVC trajectory
Measured: Spirometry will be measured approx. every 6 months for the 3-year follow-up period
Secondary outcomes (11)
Change in systolic blood pressure (children)
Measured: Blood pressure will be measured approx. every 6 months for the 3-year follow-up period
Change in diastolic blood pressure (children)
Measured: Blood pressure will be measured approx. every 6 months for the 3-year follow-up period
Spirometry (children): FEV1/FVC trajectory
Measured: Spirometry will be measured approx. every 6 months for the 3-year follow-up period
Spirometry (children): FEF25-75 trajectory
Measured: Spirometry will be measured approx. every 6 months for the 3-year follow-up period
Spirometry (children): PEF trajectory
Measured: Spirometry will be measured approx. every 6 months for the 3-year follow-up period
Change in diastolic blood pressure (adults)
Measured: Blood pressure will be measured approx. every 6 months for the 3-year follow-up period
Spirometry (adults): FEV1 change
Measured: Lung function will be measured approx. every 1 year for the 3-year follow-up period (adults).
Spirometry (adults): FVC change
Measured: Lung function will be measured approx. every 1 year for the 3-year follow-up period (adults).
Spirometry (adults): FEV1/FVC change
Measured: Lung function will be measured approx. every 1 year for the 3-year follow-up period (adults).
Spirometry (adults): FEF25-75 change
Measured: Lung function will be measured approx. every 1 year for the 3-year follow-up period (adults).
Spirometry (adults): PEF change
Measured: Lung function will be measured approx. every 1 year for the 3-year follow-up period (adults).
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted30 Dec 2022
- Study start17 Nov 2022
- Primary completion22 Aug 2025
- Study completion22 Aug 2025
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Blood PressureStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 1,680 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Colorado State University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05668624
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2219
- Other IDs
- R01ES029995
- Acronym
- SHEAR
- Status last verified
- Jan 2026
- First submitted
- 7 Dec 2022
- Last updated
- 15 Jan 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided
Publications
Sewor C, Tanner K, Cleveland V, Young BN, L'Orange C, Witinok-Huber R, Balmes J, Kalisa E, Zurba L, Ntakirutimana T, P Keller K, Chang HH, Volckens J, Clark ML. Prevalence of hypertension and cross-sectional associations between household air pollution exposure and blood pressure among children in rural Rwanda. Environ Res Health. 2026 Sep 1;4(3):035014. doi: 10.1088/2752-5309/ae8ff9. Epub 2026 Aug 5.
PubMed 42559204
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 15 Jan 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Sustainable Household Energy Adoption in Rwanda (SHEAR): Promoting Rural Health With Solar and Natural Gas
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05668624
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- SHEAR / 2219
- Conditions
- Blood Pressure, Lung Function
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 1,680 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Colorado State UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
- Study start
- 17 Nov 2022 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 22 Aug 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 22 Aug 2025 (actual)
- First posted
- 30 Dec 2022 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Investigators will conduct a randomized controlled trial substituting traditional forms of household energy (biomass for cooking and kerosene for lighting) with liquified petroleum gas (LPG) stoves/fuel and solar power (in areas marker for solar grids by the Government of Rwanda) in rural Rwanda. Eligible households (n=650) using traditional forms of energy will be recruited from eastern Rwanda. In each household, investigators will recruit either one adult female and one adult male or just one adult, and one child (aged 8-15 years). Following baseline health and exposure assessment, a randomized treatment arm (n=250 homes) will receive a full subsidy for LPG fuel and solar power, a control arm (n=250 homes) will continue to use traditional energy, and a random-subsidy arm (n=150 homes) will be randomized to a discounted price (at baseline and every 6-months) for solar and LPG in a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) service model (i.e., pre-pay a desired amount through mobile money). The random subsidy arm will then decide whether or not to cook with the discounted LPG or their traditional stove. Participants will be followed for 3 years with repeated measures of household air pollution (HAP) exposure (48-hour fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and black carbon (BC)), energy use, health, and preferences. Primary health endpoints include blood pressure (BP) in adults and lung-function growth in children; secondary endpoints include BP in children and lung-function change in adults. To complement the trial, the random-subsidy arm will generate policy-relevant information on causal relationships between energy costs, solar and LPG usage, and HAP exposures. The investigators propose 3 aims:
Aim 1. In an ITT framework, investigators will evaluate the effect of a household energy intervention on exposure to HAP and indicators of morbidity separately among Rwandan women, men, and children within n=500 households.
Aim 2. Using exposure-response modeling, investigators will characterize associations between exposure to HAP and indicators of morbidity separately among Rwandan women, men, and children within n=650 households (500 trial households + 150 random subsidy households).
Aim 3. Using a random-encouragement design, investigators will investigate causal relationships between randomized energy costs, measured energy usage, and estimated exposure to HAP among n=400 households (150 random subsidy households + 250 full subsidy treatment arm households).
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 3
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Full Subsidy Arm | Experimental | Other: Clean household energyThis arm receives free LPG and stove for cooking following the baseline measures, for the duration of the 3-year follow-up period. For those households in Government of Rwanda designated areas for solar microgrids, this arm will also be connected to and provided free access to solar electricity for lighting. |
| Control Arm | No intervention | –This arm will remain using traditional forms of energy for cooking and lighting. |
| Discount Subsidy Arm | Experimental | Other: Clean household energyThis arm will be randomized to a discounted price (at baseline and every 6-months during the 3-year study) for solar electricity (in areas marker for solar grids by the Government of Rwanda) and LPG gas in a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) service model (i.e., pre-pay an affordable amount through mobile money, a common form of currency transactions in Rwanda). For example, this arm will be asked to cook as normal and decide whether or not to cook with the discounted LPG or their traditional stove (i.e., they will not be required to pay for LPG). |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 8 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (10 listed)
- This research will recruit and enroll 650 households (250 households in the full subsidy arm; 250 households in the control arm; 150 households in the discount subsidy arm).
- Home resides in the study area of Isangano and Karambi
- Uses biomass as primary cooking fuel
- Either both an adult male (at least 18 years old) and female (at least 18 years old), or just one adult (at least 18 years old), head(s) of household willing to consent and at least one child between 8 and 15 years of age willing to assent; We will recruit the younger child in families with more than one child between 8-15 years of age. We will also confirm the child is living at home throughout the year and not attending boarding school elsewhere.
- No commercial cooking
Key exclusion criteria (9 listed)
- Home resides outside the study area
- Uses clean fuel as primary cooking fuel
- Participants outside the age ranges: Adult male (at least 18 years old) and female (at least 18 years old) heads of household willing to consent and at least one child between 8 and 15 years of age willing to assent
- Conducts commercial cooking
- Smoking members of the household
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Clean household energyLPG stoves/fuel for cooking and solar electricity for lighting | Other | Discount Subsidy Arm, Full Subsidy Arm |
Primary outcome
Change in systolic blood pressure (adults)
Time frame: Blood pressure will be measured approx. every 6 months for the 3-year follow-up period
Spirometry (children): FEV1 trajectory
Time frame: Spirometry will be measured approx. every 6 months for the 3-year follow-up period
Spirometry (children): FVC trajectory
Time frame: Spirometry will be measured approx. every 6 months for the 3-year follow-up period
11 secondary outcomes
Change in systolic blood pressure (children)
Time frame: Blood pressure will be measured approx. every 6 months for the 3-year follow-up period
Change in diastolic blood pressure (children)
Time frame: Blood pressure will be measured approx. every 6 months for the 3-year follow-up period
Spirometry (children): FEV1/FVC trajectory
Time frame: Spirometry will be measured approx. every 6 months for the 3-year follow-up period
Spirometry (children): FEF25-75 trajectory
Time frame: Spirometry will be measured approx. every 6 months for the 3-year follow-up period
Spirometry (children): PEF trajectory
Time frame: Spirometry will be measured approx. every 6 months for the 3-year follow-up period
Change in diastolic blood pressure (adults)
Time frame: Blood pressure will be measured approx. every 6 months for the 3-year follow-up period
Spirometry (adults): FEV1 change
Time frame: Lung function will be measured approx. every 1 year for the 3-year follow-up period (adults).
Spirometry (adults): FVC change
Time frame: Lung function will be measured approx. every 1 year for the 3-year follow-up period (adults).
Spirometry (adults): FEV1/FVC change
Time frame: Lung function will be measured approx. every 1 year for the 3-year follow-up period (adults).
Spirometry (adults): FEF25-75 change
Time frame: Lung function will be measured approx. every 1 year for the 3-year follow-up period (adults).
Spirometry (adults): PEF change
Time frame: Lung function will be measured approx. every 1 year for the 3-year follow-up period (adults).
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 15 Jan 2026.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 42559204Sewor C, Tanner K, Cleveland V, Young BN, L'Orange C, Witinok-Huber R, Balmes J, Kalisa E, Zurba L, Ntakirutimana T, P Keller K, Chang HH, Volckens J, Clark ML. Prevalence of hypertension and cross-sectional associations between household air pollution exposure and blood pressure among children in rural Rwanda. Environ Res Health. 2026 Sep 1;4(3):035014. doi: 10.1088/2752-5309/ae8ff9. Epub 2026 Aug 5.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Clean household energy in people with Blood Pressure and Lung Function, run by Colorado State University at 1 site in Rwanda.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 10 inclusion and 9 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 15 Jan 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Rwanda. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Change in systolic blood pressure (adults) (time frame: Blood pressure will be measured approx. every 6 months for the 3-year follow-up period). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT05668624, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 15 Jan 2026.