Grantee Research Project Results
2015 Progress Report: Assess school environmental effects on children's health and performance and strengthen state/community capacity to create a healthy and safe learning environment
EPA Grant Number: R835636Title: Assess school environmental effects on children's health and performance and strengthen state/community capacity to create a healthy and safe learning environment
Investigators: Lin, Shao , Thurston, George D. , Hwang, Syni-An
Institution: Health Research, Inc. / NYS Dept. of Health
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Project Period: December 18, 2014 through December 17, 2018 (Extended to July 31, 2020)
Project Period Covered by this Report: December 18, 2014 through December 17,2015
Project Amount: $1,000,000
RFA: Healthy Schools: Environmental Factors, Children’s Health and Performance, and Sustainable Building Practices (2013) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Children's Health , Human Health
Objective:
Assess combined effects of individual school environmental factors and their interactions with demographics and neighborhood factors on occupants’ health and performance, and to work with community partners to identify the best and sustainable school building practices for an optimal learning environment.
Progress Summary:
In Year 1, we completed staff recruitment, and applied for and received IRB approval from the New York State (NYS) Department of Health, SUNY Albany, and EPA. We applied for and received access to the hospital admission and emergency department visit data for our project from the NYS Data Protection Review Board, and the data have subsequently been cleaned.
Aim 1: We developed a survey for private school leaders in order to identify gaps in awareness of school environmental health issues, and have distributed that survey in both paper form at a conference, and are currently performing a followup to the survey via an online format. We also conducted a multilevel case-control study to compare the ratios of various hazard indicators between cases and controls using NYS hospital data and assessed the effects of some emerging exposures on children’s outcomes. For the personal and environmental sampling component, we developed an equipment purchase list, sampling plan, and quality assurance project plan.
Aim 2: We used the NYSED Building Condition Survey data to examine whether school building conditions change over time. We assessed the change in the percentage of school buildings with multiple issues for important IAQ areas.
Aim 3: We performed a comprehensive literature review on the comparison between two mediation analysis methods, in order to decide which approach of mediation analysis will allow the presence of interaction between exposure and mediator for the purpose of our study.
Aim 4: We used statistical methods to evaluate if schools using environmental guidelines or programs such as EPA Tools for Schools, LEED, and CHPS had better outcomes.
Outputs of Year 1’s accomplishments include statistical analyses, new mediation analysis approaches, a well-developed survey that can be re-deployed to additional participants in Year 2, and survey results.
Outcomes include adequate staffing, IRB approval for further research, data availability, appropriately developed methods, completed analyses, survey experience, and the framework for the personal monitoring portion of the project.
As the PI accepted a new position as a full-time professor at the University at Albany, and her research team moved with her, the main challenge from this move has been a delay in the receipt of the award funds due to the transition from NYSDOH to SUNY Albany, and we are currently still waiting for the completion of the fund transition. Nonetheless, we have tried our best to complete all activities planned for Year 1, and are ahead of schedule for some tasks scheduled for Year 2. There are currently no changes in the scope of the project, and the goals of the project have not changed from the original application.
Future Activities:
(1) During the next reporting period, we will continue the online followup of the private school survey.
(2) We will continue to analyze the building condition survey data, specifically examining how building conditions affect test scores and attendance.
(3) We will be conducting the survey for public school superintendents, with the assistance of the New York State Education Department, at their annual conference this spring.
(4) We plan to obtain the 2015 NYSED Building Condition Survey, as the survey is completed by all NYS public school districts every 5 years. We are currently using the 2010 survey data, and can conduct many more planned analyses using the updated data.
(5) We will be moving forward with the mediation analysis methods in order to study the interrelationships among student performance, health outcomes, and student absenteeism.
(6) If we are able to receive our funds in a timely manner, we would like to begin in Q3 of Year 2 with the fall sampling period for the personal and stationary air monitoring.
(7) We will continue to finalize manuscripts and submit them to be published.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 24 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
Children’s respiratory health, community partnership, school practice, mediators, particulates, environmental effects, surveys, test scores, attendanceProgress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.
Project Research Results
- Final Report
- 2019 Progress Report
- 2018 Progress Report
- 2017 Progress Report
- 2016 Progress Report
- Original Abstract
11 journal articles for this project