Feasibility of residential air quality monitoring to address asthma outcomes

Abstract

Improving asthma outcomes for underserved populations can be addressed through interventions to improve indoor air quality (IAQ). New protocol for measuring IAQ and health outcomes are imperative given advances in IAQ monitoring technology and challenges in conducting intervention research in homes. In this pilot study HEPA air purifiers and HEPA vacuum cleaners were provided to five homes with children with asthma. For 6 weeks, eight common components of air quality were measured using a low-cost multi-channel air quality monitoring device, with data conveyed directly from participant homes via Wi-Fi connection. In conjunction with periodic surveys on asthma control, impact of asthma on quality of life and intervention compliance, outcomes compared IAQ, home characteristics, and asthma-related measures. This pilot study demonstrates the feasibility of a protocol to evaluate a dual component intervention to improve IAQ in homes, as measured with a low-cost air quality monitoring device.

Keywords:

• Asthma
• indoor air quality
• health disparities
• air quality monitor
• intervention

Author contributions

Laura Ikuma managed the study protocol, human subjects approval applications; supervised research assistants; collected and analyzed data; and wrote the manuscript.

Isaac Ntiamoah was responsible for data collection, manuscript preparation, and data collection and analysis.

Alicia Van Doren conceived the study idea, the design of methodology, technical details and implementation, oversight for adherence to study details, oversight for the medical and environmental health aspect for duration of study, provided statistical software code and techniques to scrub, analyze, and interpret study data, literature review, critical review of the manuscript.

Arundhati Bakshi was responsible for the conception and design of the study; design of methodology, technical details and implementation; management of the BREATHE program and associated staff at LDH; data collection and interpretation; and manuscript preparation.

Isabelina Nahmens was responsible for data interpretation, development of housing characteristic metrics, and manuscript preparation.

Ethical approval

This research was approved by the Louisiana State University and Louisiana Department of Health Institutional Review Boards.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, Laura Ikuma, upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded through the Louisiana Department of Health.