Grantee Research Project Results

2000 Progress Report: A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Home Exposure Control in Asthma

EPA Grant Number: R826724C001
Subproject: this is subproject number 001 , established and managed by the Center Director under grant R826724
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
Center: Center for the Study of Childhood Asthma in the Urban Environment
Center Director: Hansel, Nadia
Title: A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Home Exposure Control in Asthma
Investigators: Eggleston, Peyton A.
Institution: The Johns Hopkins University
EPA Project Officer: Callan, Richard
Project Period: January 1, 1998 through January 1, 2002
Project Period Covered by this Report: January 1, 1999 through January 1, 2000
Project Amount: Refer to main center abstract for funding details.
RFA: Centers for Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research (1998) RFA Text |  Recipients Lists
Research Category: Children's Health , Human Health

Objective:

This community-based prevention research project will conduct a randomized controlled trial of the effectiveness of current intervention methods to reduce hazardous exposure and their adverse health effects. It will test a global intervention that is composed of several components that have already proven to be effective in middle class homes. The major outcome this trial will not be changes in health status but will be environmental exposure and it will examine the feasibility of modifying inner city home environments with currently recommends procedures. Data on the child's health status will also be collected, but it is anticipated that studies with interventions that have already been proven effective will be necessary to provide adequate power to test a health outcome.

Progress Summary:

During the past year, the investigators have established recruiting, evaluation and intervention procedures. Recruiting has begun with presentation of an asthma self-management curriculum to 61 children in 49 families by two newly recruited educators. The families were visited a second time and 35 had an eligible child and interested in participating in the intervention project. Twenty-four (24) of these families have been consented and 19 have been fully evaluated and randomized into the trial. This is an extraordinarily high rate of successful recruiting and is a tribute not only to the educators but to newly recruited study interviewer and the study coordinator. During the coming year recruitment should be even more rapid as we expand the asthma curriculum from 3 to 5 elementary schools. Treatment Group will receive allergen-proof mattress and pillow encasings for the child's bed, room air cleaner for the child's room, pest control services if needed, smoking cessation support and environmental avoidance education. The intervention is being conducted by a newly recruit community health educator and a nurse educator, and has been well received by 9 families. All families will receive two home visits at 6 and 12 months, a telephone interview at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months and a final clinic evaluation.

Future Activities:

This community-based prevention research project will continue to conduct a randomized controlled trial of the effectiveness of current intervention methods to reduce hazardous exposure and their adverse health effects. It will test a global intervention that is composed of several components that have already proven to be effective in middle class homes. This study will examine the feasibility of modifying inner city home environments with currently recommended procedures. Data on the child's health status will also be collected, but it is anticipated that studies with interventions that have already been proven effective will be necessary to provide adequate power to test a health outcome. In addition, the project will establishe recruiting, evaluation and intervention procedures. Recruiting has begun with presentation of an asthma self-management curriculum to 61 children in 49 families by two newly recruited educators. The families were visited a second time and 35 had an eligible child and interested in participating in the intervention project. Twenty-four (24) of these families have been consented and 19 have been fully evaluated and randomized into the trial. This is an extraordinarily high rate of successful recruiting and is a tribute not only to the educators but to newly recruited study interviewer and the study coordinator. During the coming year recruitment should be even more rapid as they expand the asthma curriculum from 3 to 5 elementary schools. Treatment Group will receive allergen-proof mattress and pillow encasings for the child's bed, room air cleaner for the child's room, pest control services if needed, smoking cessation support and environmental avoidance education. The intervention is being conducted by a newly recruit community health educator and a nurse educator, and has been well received by 9 families. All families will receive two home visits at 6 and 12 months, a telephone interview at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months and a final clinic evalu

Supplemental Keywords:

Health, RFA, Scientific Discipline, Allergens/Asthma, Atmospheric Sciences, Biochemistry, Children's Health, Disease & Cumulative Effects, Ecological Risk Assessment, Epidemiology, Health Risk Assessment, Risk Assessments, Human Health Risk Assessment, age-related differences, air pollutants, air pollution, air toxics, airborne pollutants, airborne urban contaminants, airway disease, airway inflammation, ambient particulates, asthma, asthma morbidity, asthmatic children, children, children's environmental health, community based, community-based intervention, disease, environmental health, epidemelogy, epidemeology, health effects, human exposure, human health risk, morbidity, RFA, Health, Air, Scientific Discipline, Susceptibility/Sensitive Population/Genetic Susceptibility, Health Risk Assessment, Risk Assessments, particulate matter, Biology, genetic susceptability, Environmental Chemistry, Allergens/Asthma, Children's Health, indoor air, indoor air quality, childhood respiratory disease, epidemeology, health effects, Human Health Risk Assessment, asthma morbidity, air quality, environmental hazard exposures, sensitive populations, allergen, asthma, indoor environment, biological response, antigen, human exposure, household, morbidity, children, exposure, PM, allergic response, ambient air, intervention, airborne pollutants, home, assessment of exposure, air pollution, human health risk, airway disease

Relevant Websites:

"A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Home Exposure Control in Asthma"
https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncer_abstracts/index.cfm/fuseaction/display.abstractDehtail/abstract/1081

"Mechanisms Of Particulate-Induced Allergic Asthma"
https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncer_abstracts/index.cfm/fuseaction/display.abstractDetail/abstract/1082

"Genetic Mechanisms of Susceptibility to Inhaled Pollutants"
https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncer_abstracts/index.cfm/fuseaction/display.abstractDetail/abstract/1083

Progress and Final Reports:

Original Abstract

1998

1999

Final

Main Center Abstract and Reports:

R826724    Center for the Study of Childhood Asthma in the Urban Environment

Subprojects under this Center: (EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
R826724C001 A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Home Exposure Control in Asthma
R826724C002 Mechanisms Of Particulate-Induced Allergic Asthma
R826724C003 Genetic Mechanisms of Susceptibility to Inhaled Pollutants
R826724C004 The Relationship Of Airborne Pollutants And Allergens To Asthma Morbidity