Grantee Research Project Results

School Environmental Exposures and Disease Exacerbations in Children With Asthma

EPA Grant Number: FP916376
Title: School Environmental Exposures and Disease Exacerbations in Children With Asthma
Investigators: Sidman, Elanor A.
Institution: University of Washington
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Project Period: January 1, 2004 through December 31, 2007
Project Amount: $108,451
RFA: STAR Graduate Fellowships (2004) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Fellowship - Public Health , Academic Fellowships , Human Health

Objective:

The objective of this research project is to investigate short-term health effects associated with school environmental exposures among pediatric asthmatics.

Approach:

A cohort of Washington State elementary school children with physician-diagnosed asthma will be recruited via medical professionals and/or asthma-focused community organizations. The schools at which the participants are enrolled will be identified and, with the consent of participants’ families and school officials, a combination of select environmental measurements, observations made during walk-through assessments, and questionnaires will be used to characterize indoor air quality exposures in the school environment. Associations between these environmental exposures and asthma-related outcomes, including physiologic measures of lung function and airway inflammation, self-reported symptoms, and medication use, will be examined. If possible, information regarding the participants’ home environments will be collected and included in the analyses.

Conducted in a setting believed to have multiple indoor environmental exposures (schools) and with a study population particularly sensitive to pollutants (children) and at high risk for respiratory disease exacerbations (asthmatics), this research aims to provide further evidence regarding associations between indoor air pollutants and asthma exacerbations. The results should help inform decisions as to whether efforts to manage asthma by decreasing children’s exposure to environmental triggers should be directed at schools as well as at homes. Study findings also are intended to help identify which modifiable school characteristics would be most usefully incorporated into school-based trigger-reduction interventions and asthma prevention policies.

Supplemental Keywords:

fellowship, asthma, children’s health, school environment, indoor air quality, indoor environmental exposure, lung function, asthma-related outcomes, airway inflammation, medication use, respiratory disease, indoor air pollutants, environmental epidemiology, respiratory disease exacerbations,, RFA, Scientific Discipline, Health, Air, Geographic Area, Environmental Chemistry, Health Risk Assessment, Epidemiology, Northwest, Risk Assessments, Susceptibility/Sensitive Population/Genetic Susceptibility, Biochemistry, Allergens/Asthma, indoor air, Children's Health, genetic susceptability, asthma, particulate matter, particulates, health effects, biostatistics, sensitive populations, air toxics, toxicology, health risks, ambient air, airway disease, biological response, exposure, children, airway inflammation, air pollution, Human Health Risk Assessment, particle exposure, airborne pollutants, assessment of exposure, children's vulnerablity, ambient particle health effects, inhalation, cardiopulmonary response, human exposure, combustion, harmful environmental agents, human susceptibility, indoor air quality, biological markers, air quality, indoor environment, allergen, exposure assessment, human health risk

Relevant Websites:

2004 STAR Graduate Fellowship Conference Poster (PDF, 1p., 154KB, about PDF)

Progress and Final Reports:

The 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.