A pilot study led by researcher Alejandro Moreno-Rangel at the Texas A&M School of Public Health in McAllen, Texas, analyzed how indoor air quality (IAQ) interventions affect health. Specifically, Moreno-Rangel was interested in how these interventions might impact the health of children with asthma living in low-income communities along the U.S.-Mexico border. His study is one of the first of its kind.
The study participants included 16 low-income, U.S.-Mexico border households who had children with asthma. The children ranged in age from 7 to 12 years old, with an average age of 9.5. IAQ was measured using particulate matter (PM2.5) levels pre-and-post asthma education and the use of a home air purifier.
PM2.5 levels were measured for 7 days in the bedrooms, kitchen, and living room of each household before and after using a home air purifier. Multiple surveys were used to assess changes in health outcomes.
The study ultimately found that mean PM2.5 levels significantly improved (1.91 mcg/m3 reduction; p < 0.05), as did the children’s asthma-related quality of life (p < 0.05).
The study concluded that a combined intervention of asthma education and the use of a home air purifier might improve IAQ and health outcomes for low-income children with asthma living along the U.S.-Mexico border. A call to action is made advocating for large-scale research on how these interventions could benefit children with asthma who live in other low-income communities [1].
Source:
[1] Moreno-Rangel, A., Baek, J., Roh, T., Xu, X., & Carrillo, G. (2020). Assessing Impact of Household Intervention on Indoor Air Quality and Health of Children with Asthma in the US-Mexico Border: A Pilot Study. Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 2020, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/6042146
