Children's heart health and the effects of heat and wildfire smoke

Children’s Cardiovascular Health and the Impacts of Heat Stress and Wildfire Smoke

NIH-funded research University of Southern California · NIH-11262924

This work looks at how heat waves and wildfire smoke during pregnancy and childhood may affect children's heart health.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionUniversity of Southern California NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Los Angeles, UNITED STATES)
Project IDNIH-11262924 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

If you join, researchers will use home addresses and public weather and air-quality data to estimate each child's exposure to extreme heat and wildfire smoke during pregnancy and early childhood. They will compare those exposure histories to heart-related measurements, BMI, and biological markers taken from medical records, clinic visits, or samples. The study will look at how heat and smoke together affect heart health and whether household factors like air conditioning or other community measures reduce risks. Results aim to point to practical steps families and local leaders can use to protect children from harm.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal participants are pregnant people and children from infancy through about 11 years old who live in areas affected by heat waves or wildfire smoke and can share address and health information.

Not a fit: Adults who are not pregnant or whose children are outside the studied age range, and people who cannot provide address or health data, are unlikely to benefit directly from joining.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: Could help identify when and how heat and smoke harm children's hearts and suggest household or community steps to reduce those risks.

How similar studies have performed: Prior research links heat and smoke to heart problems in adults, but studies focused on children and on combined exposures are limited, so this approach is relatively new for pediatric heart health.

Where this research is happening

Los Angeles, UNITED STATES

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-10 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.