Home ventilation and air cleaner for asthma in low-income DFW homes
Energy Recovery Ventilation and Air Cleaner Interventions to Improve Indoor Air Quality, Mold Control, and Asthma-Related Health Outcomes Among Inner-City Children and Adults in Low-Income Households
This trial will test whether installing whole-home energy recovery ventilators or portable air cleaners in low-income Dallas–Fort Worth homes lowers indoor pollutants and improves asthma symptoms and quality of life over one year.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 80 (estimated) |
| Ages | 5 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | The University of Texas at Arlington Academic / other |
| Locations | 2 sites (Arlington, Texas and 1 other locations) |
| Trial ID | NCT07196436 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
This double-blind, placebo-controlled, four-arm randomized trial will enroll 80 households (at least 40 children and 40 adults with physician-diagnosed asthma) from low-income applicants to a home retrofit program in the Dallas–Fort Worth area. After a one-year observation period, households will be randomized to receive an active energy recovery ventilator (ERV with MERV-13 filter), a sham ERV (recirculation only), an active portable air cleaner (PAC with HEPA and carbon filters), or a sham PAC (filters removed) for one year. Indoor air pollution and mold levels, housing conditions, and asthma-related clinical outcomes (control, lung function, sleep, stress, and quality of life) will be measured, and cost-benefit analyses and protocol evaluations for practical indoor air quality monitoring will be performed. All participants and field staff will be blinded to whether the installed devices are active or sham.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Ideal participants are homeowners in the Dallas–Fort Worth area with physician-diagnosed asthma (children aged ≥5 and adults), from low-income households applying for home retrofit assistance, living in non-smoking homes.
Not a fit: People who live with smokers, renters or those outside the Dallas–Fort Worth area, and patients whose asthma is driven mainly by outdoor or non-indoor triggers may not receive benefit from these home-based interventions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If effective, these home-based ventilation or filtration interventions could reduce indoor pollutant and mold exposure and improve asthma control, lung function, and quality of life for low-income families.
How similar studies have performed: Prior smaller trials and observational studies have shown that HEPA filtration and improved ventilation can reduce indoor particulate levels and sometimes improve asthma symptoms, but long-term, double-blind randomized evidence in low-income urban households is limited.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Individuals with physician-diagnosed asthma, including both adults and children aged 5-17 * Homeowners living in the DFW metropolitan area, TX Exclusion Criteria: * Participants living in homes with any smokers
Where this trial is running
Arlington, Texas and 1 other locations
- University of Texas at Arlington — Arlington, Texas, United States (Recruiting)
- Rebuilding Together North Texas — Plano, Texas, United States (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Insung Kang, Ph.D. — The University of Texas at Arlington
- Study coordinator: Insung Kang, Ph.D.
- Email: insung.kang@uta.edu
- Phone: 817-272-2167
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.