Cost Effective Air Filtration Intervention in Low-Income Housing to Reduce Asthma Morbidity

Plain-language summary

This project will investigate the effectiveness of HEPA air cleaners in reducing indoor air pollution and improving asthma morbidity in children living in East Harlem, New York City (NYC). The study will be conducted over a 2-year period. Columbia University and Little Sisters of the Assumption Family Health Service (LSAFHS) will conduct an intervention study to evaluate the efficacy of using a cost-effective high-capacity high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter air cleaner to reduce airborne particulate matter (PM) in the homes of children with asthma and to reduce their asthma morbidity. The study will take place in East Harlem, a low-income neighborhood with high asthma prevalence. It will build on findings from prior Housing and Urban Development Lead and Healthy Homes Technical Studies (HUD LHHTS)-funded research, the experience of LSAFHS installing air cleaners in the homes of asthmatic children, and recent findings demonstrating the effectiveness of home air cleaners in reducing asthma morbidity. The investigators hypothesize that the cost-effective single air cleaner will substantially reduce PM exposure in the homes of asthmatic children and reduce airway inflammation and asthma morbidity. This study will use cutting-edge air sampling technology to continuously quantify and characterize indoor air pollutants in the home for one year, verify and incentivize compliance, and conduct repeated exhaled nitric oxide and pulmonary function tests before and throughout the year after the intervention. This cost-effective intervention can be easily and quickly implemented in homes in low-income, urban communities and easily transferred between homes if families move.

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