Title: Assessing the impact of the Mayor’s “schools air quality audit” recommendations in reducing pupils’ exposure to poor air quality – feasibility and base line data collection
Funder: Department of Health and Social Care

Abstract: Many people have health problems due to air pollution. Every year tens of thousands of people die because they have been exposed to air pollution. Children are particularly vulnerable as they have smaller lungs, breathe faster and spend more time outdoors than adults. Air pollution impedes lung development and makes children more vulnerable to chronic diseases, especially respiratory diseases. Therefore, it is important that measures are put in place to protect children from the harmful effects of air pollution. As part of his plans to improve air quality, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, commissioned a study of air quality in 50 primary schools. These schools were located in areas with particularly poor air quality. The purpose of the study was to find ways to help protect children from air pollution. The reports (published in May 2018) made a number of recommendations on how schools can help reduce children’s exposure to air pollution. The next step is to make sure that these recommendations are feasible and can be put into practice. In order to do this we need to know what children, teachers, and parents think about air pollution at the moment, and find out how the primary schools will implement the recommendations made to improve air quality for children. In order to do this we will study those who will (or could be) involved in implementing these recommendations. We will survey children in Year 5 and their parents. This survey will measure how aware they are of air pollution, and what (if anything) they do to avoid it. We will also ask all the Head teachers and the local borough Air Quality Officers about their plans to implement the recommendations using a online based survey and then interviews. The information we collect will be used to assess the longer term impact of the recommendations. The findings from this study will be used to design the next (larger) study which will assess how effective the policy recommendations have been in improving the environment in and around schools, and the associated social and health benefits of improving air pollution.

Lay abstract: Exposure to air pollution is a public health concern accountable for numerous health problems and tens of thousands of premature deaths per year in the UK. Children are particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of air pollution, due to their immature and developing immune system and lungs, lower body weight and relatively high inhalation rate. As part of his plans to tackle air quality issues, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, commissioned 50 primary school ‘air quality’ audits with the aim of identifying measures which could help protect children’s health from the harmful effects of air pollutants. The 50 participating primary schools were in areas exceeding legal limits of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in several London Boroughs. The audits were completed by January 2018, with reports published in May 2018. While the audits provide the participating primary schools with valuable information and advice, there are no plans for research funding to evaluate the impact of implementing the audit recommendations on air quality or child health. Over the next six months, these schools will be considering the recommendations and making plans for their implementation. This is an unprecedented opportunity to research the effectiveness of an environmental and public health policy and it’s local implementation on a large scale across an urban area. However, base line data are required to record the attitudes and behaviour of key stakeholders prior to widespread interventions. These base line data are essential to the success of future studies assessing the impact of subsequent actions. The objectives of this time-limited base line study are a) to evaluate the extent to which the recommendations made by the audits will be implemented by the schools b) identify any barriers encountered by the School Heads and the respective borough Air Quality Officers when attempting to implement the audit recommendations and, if and how these challenges will be overcome and c) gather base line data from school children and parents prior to interventions being introduced in terms of air pollution awareness and current practices. To achieve these objectives, a mixture of qualitative research techniques will be employed. This study will provide data that can then be compared against subsequent research findings to determine the effectiveness of the interventions (recommendations) proposed by the audits in regard to air quality improvements and air pollution awareness. Stakeholders and members of the public will be involved throughout the project to ensure that the research aligns with societal needs and results are disseminated and used in practice.

Research activity codes: 3.2 INTERVENTIONS TO ALTER PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS
Health categories: GENERIC HEALTH RELEVANCE;RESPIRATORY