Improving air quality and child asthma in the Duwamish Valley
Action towards health equity and improved air quality in the Duwamish Valley: A multilevel asthma intervention
This project will see if providing low-cost box fans with filters and home air checks can help children with asthma in the Duwamish Valley breathe easier.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Washington NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11247061 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
The project works with Georgetown and South Park community groups to tackle air pollution that worsens childhood asthma. Families will have home air-quality checks and some households will receive low-cost box fans fitted with filters to improve indoor airflow. The study uses a randomized design so some homes get the fan intervention while others continue usual care, and researchers will track indoor particle levels and children's asthma symptoms over time. Community members are engaged throughout to guide the work and measure how the effort affects household empowerment.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are families in the Duwamish Valley (Georgetown and South Park) with children aged 0–11 who have asthma and are willing to host home air-quality checks and use a provided fan and filter.
Not a fit: People who live outside the Duwamish Valley, do not have a child with asthma, or whose asthma is caused mainly by exposures outside the home may not benefit directly.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could lower indoor pollutants and reduce asthma symptoms in young children using affordable, scalable tools.
How similar studies have performed: High-efficiency (HEPA) filters have reduced indoor particles and helped asthma in prior studies, but using lower-cost box fans with less-efficient filters is less well tested and is the novel element here.
Where this research is happening
Seattle, United States
- University of Washington — Seattle, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hajat, Anjum — University of Washington
- Study coordinator: Hajat, Anjum
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.