Asthma in Children
Conditions
Keywords
air quality
Brief summary
The goal of this randomized control trial is to learn if box fans and filters can reduce asthma symptoms and improve indoor air quality in children ages 6 - 17 years old with asthma living in the Duwamish Valley, Seattle, Washington. The main question it aims to answer are: * Do box fans with filters improve asthma symptoms? * Do box fans with filters improve an objective measure used to monitor lung function known as forced expiratory volume during the first second (FEV1)? Researchers will compare children living in households with high quality filters to those in households with sham filters to see if air quality and asthma symptoms improve. Participants will * fill out several questionnaires * monitor their lung function with a peak flow meter * place an air monitor in their homes to monitor indoor air quality * run the box fan when they are at home
Interventions
OTHERMERV 13 filter
This is an environmental intervention consisting of a low-cost box fan with a MERV 13 filter placed behind it. The company Lasko makes these fans and other environmental appliances.
OTHERSham filter
This is an environmental intervention consisting of a low-cost box fan with a sham filter (MERV 1) placed behind it. The company Lasko makes these fans and other environmental appliances.
Sponsors
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
University of Washington
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Investigator)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
6 Years to 17 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* age (6-17 years) * poorly controlled physician diagnosed asthma defined as more than four days with asthma symptoms in the past two weeks, use of asthma rescue medication for more than four days in the past two weeks, or health care utilization due to asthma in the past year (hospitalization, emergency room visit, or unscheduled clinic visit) * living in Georgetown and South Park neighborhoods of Seattle
Exclusion criteria
* children with unstable housing or shared custody arrangements
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Asthma symptoms | ACQ will be measured weekly for 6 consecutive weeks, two pre-intervention weeks (before box fans have been given to participant) and four weeks while fans are being used in the home. Symptoms will also be assessed at the six month follow-up visit. | Symptoms are evaluated with the seven-item asthma control questionnaire (ACQ), a validated tool used in children. |
| FEV1 | FEV1 measures will be taken daily, once in the morning and once at night for the six week study time frame. Prior to the six month follow up we will ask participants to take three consecutive days of FEV1 measurements, for an additional 6 measures | FEV1 is captured with a digital peak flow meter. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Asthma quality of life | Will be evaluated at baseline (visit 1), after 6 weeks (visit 3) and at 6 month follow up (visit 4) | Will be assessed with the15-item mini-asthma quality of life questionnaire, a validated tool |
| Use of rescue medications | ACQ will be measured weekly for 6 consecutive weeks, two pre-intervention weeks (before box fans have been given to participant) and four weeks while fans are being used in the home. Symptoms will also be assessed at the six month follow-up visit. | This is an item on the ACQ. See primary outcome. |
| Health care utilization in the past month | Will be evaluated at baseline (visit 1), after 6 weeks (visit 3) and at 6 month follow up (visit 4) | Will be assessed with the six-item asthma-related health care utilization questionnaire. |
Countries
United States
Contacts
Primary ContactAnjum Hajat, PhD, MPH
Outcome results
None listed