Allergens in Inner-City Schools and Childhood Asthma

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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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.

Official Title
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Allergens in Inner-City Schools and Childhood Asthma

Conditions
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Asthma

Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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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

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 4 Years
Maximum Age: 15 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Maximum Symptom 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 | 14 days | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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 | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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pediatric, childhood, allergy