A Community Based Participatory Research Intervention for Childhood Asthma Using Air Filters and Air Conditioners

Co-Principal Investigators

Thomas Robins, Stuart Batterman, Toby Lewis, Bhramar Mukherjee, Barbara Israel, Graciela Mentz

Funding Sources

NIEHS

About this Project

Asthma is the most common chronic disease of childhood in the United States. Many important triggers of asthma, including allergens and airborne particulate matter (PM), occur in the indoor environment. This intervention is a randomized controlled trial of the efficacy of air filters (AFs) alone, and AFs together with air conditioners (ACs), to reduce indoor PM and improve health status of children with asthma above and beyond a standard community health worker home visit intervention. The specific aims are to:1) test the efficacy of AFs separately and when combined with ACs to reduce exposure to indoor PM, over and above a standard intervention; 2) test the association between the use of AFs separately and with ACs and the health status of children over and above a standard intervention; 3) elucidate the causal pathways by which any intervention-related improvements in children's asthma-related health status occurs. 150 households in Detroit, MI with at least one child with persistent asthma (mild to severe) will be enrolled and will be randomly assigned to a control group (receiving the standard intervention) or the intervention group (receiving the standard intervention plus AFs initially and ACs added later). Extensive exposure and health measures will be undertaken throughout the 16 month intervention.