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New Zealand homes are underheated by international standards, with average indoor temperatures below the WHO recommended minimum of 18°C. Research has highlighted the connection between low indoor temperatures and adverse health outcomes, including social functioning and psychological well-being. Both health effects and social effects can impact on school absence rates. The aim of this study was to determine whether more effective home heating affects school absence for children with asthma.

A single-blinded randomised controlled trial of heating intervention in 409 households containing an asthmatic child aged 6–12 years, where the previous heating was an open fire, plug-in electric heater or unflued gas heater. The intervention was the installation of a more effective heater of at least 6 kW before the winter of 2006 in half the houses. Demographic and health information …