Cognition
Conditions
Keywords
indoor air pollution, indoor air quality, cognition in children
Brief summary
This study aims at understanding the relation between indoor air quality in schools, including both chemical and microbiological determinants, and cognition in children by gathering data across different parts of Europe
Detailed description
The LEARN project, funded by the European Commission, aims to gain an in-depth understanding about indoor air quality in schools and its impact on children's cognitive development. This involves evaluating school cohorts in three different countries (Belgium, Greece and Denmark). In participating schools, we measure and characterise indoor and outdoor air pollutants and evaluate the presence of exposure biomarkers and their effect on children's cognition. Measuring indoor air quality, exposure and creating remedial strategies are crucial steps to improve air quality in the school environment and ensure the well-being of children.
Interventions
DEVICEOurAir SQ 1750 - Mobile Air Purification System for indoor
Filtration device will be placed in classrooms. Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations will be used to find optimal position and operation mode for air purification systems in classrooms.
DEVICESham intervention
Filtration will be turned off in the control part of the study and then will be turned on during the intervention.
Sponsors
Hasselt University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
9 Years to 12 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Boys and girls * Attending school in the 4th -6th grade in elementary schools included in the study * Signed informed consent form by legal representative
Exclusion criteria
* Insufficient knowledge of local language (ie. Dutch, Greek, Danish) by child or parents
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Correct Detection of continuous Performance Test | at the end of the intervention and at the end of the sham intervention | Change in the number of times the child responded correctly to the target alphanumeric stimulus. Higher rates of correct detections indicate better attentional capacity. |
| Change in the number of correct substitutions of Symbol Digit Modalities Test | at the end of the intervention and at the end of the sham intervention | Change in the the number of correct substitutions the child performed. Higher number of correct substitutions indicate better information processing ability. |
| Change in the Memory Span Task score | at the end of the intervention and at the end of the sham intervention | Change in the number of longest list of items that a child can repeat back in correct order. Longer list of recalled items indicate better short term memory |
| Change in the Signal Detection Test score | at the end of the intervention and at the end of the sham intervention | Change in the number of correct detection of signals. Higher rates of correct detection indicate better perception ability |
Countries
Belgium
Contacts
Primary ContactRossella Alfano, PhD
Backup ContactNawrot
Outcome results
None listed