Allergens in Inner-City Schools and Childhood Asthma

Completed

Brief Summary: Asthma is a disease that affects more than 12% of Americans under the age of 18 for over 14 million missed school days per year, and is the number one cause of school absences in America. Elementary school children spend 6 to 10 hours a day in school, and most of that time is spent in one classroom. The goals of this project are to provide an understanding of exposure risk factors specific to the classroom. This is critical, because the classroom environment could potentially be considered as an effective target for prevention of inner-city asthma morbidity by reducing exposures to many symptomatic children through an intervention in the school classrooms.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria

Grades K-8 the school year following spring recruitment (Ages 4-15)
Attend one of the schools in the fall where permission obtained for classroom sampling.
Able to provide assent and parent/guardian able to provide informed consent Physician-Diagnosed asthma AND Wheezing in the previous 12 months

Exclusion Criteria

Significant pulmonary diseases other than asthma that might influence test results or pose risks (e.g., cystic fibrosis, sarcoidosis, bronchiectasis)
Cardiovascular disease that requires daily medication
Taking a beta blocker
Active smoker
Unable to follow through with study visit or complete study procedures

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Maximum Symptom Days/14 Days	14 days	Largest value among the following: Number of days with wheezing, tightness in the chest, or cough Number of nights with disturbed sleep as a result of asthma Number of days on which the child had to slow down or discontinue play activities because of asthma

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Days of Slowed Activity Due to Asthma	12 months
Days of Exercise-induced Symptoms	12 months
Days of Cough Without an Upper Respiratory Infection	12 months
Nights of Wakening Due to Asthma Symptoms	12 months
Number of Hospitalizations	12 months
Emergency Department Visits	12 months
Unscheduled Physician/Health Care Visits	12 months
Prednisone Bursts	12 months
FEV1/FVC	12 months
FEV1 Percent Predicted	12 months
Percent Change in FEV1 After Short-acting Beta Agonist	12 months
Exhaled Nitric Oxide Levels	12 months