Initial Enrollment of Asthmatic Children in a Woodstove Intervention Study

Abstract

ISEE-0492 Background: This study utilizes in-home woodstove interventions to assess the impact of indoor biomass smoke on asthmatic children. Initial enrollment efforts, methodologies, and the descriptive characteristics of the first cohort of participants are described here. Methods: Asthma screening surveys were administered to school children (n = 1,185) to identify subjects. Baseline indoor air sampling and health measures were conducted during the winter of 2008/09. Air sampling included 48-hour continuous monitoring of PM2.5 mass in the common area and the child’s bedroom, as well as monitoring of particle counts and the collection of PM2.5 quartz filters for organic compound analyses. Health measures included Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQOL), peak flow monitoring, exhaled nitric oxide, and symptom diaries. Results: Fifty-one students indicated that they had current asthma and lived in a home with a woodstove. Of these, 12 subjects (age 11 to 17, 75% female) were enrolled for the first year of the study. Mean (sd) PAQOL composite scores on a scale of 7.0 were 4.7 (1.0). There was a positive association between PAQOL scores and average percent predicted morning FEV1 and peak flow. PAQOL scores were not associated with symptoms frequency or inhaler use. Mean (sd) PM2.5 concentrations in the commons area and the child’s bedroom were 41.1 (33.2) μg/m3 and 34.8 (28.4) μg/m3, respectively. Conclusions: Baseline measures have successfully been collected on the initial cohort of subjects. Each subject/home will be randomized to an intervention arm, and follow-up measures will occur in the subsequent winter. Change in PAQOL is the primary outcome of interest for the 108 subjects targeted for this study. Initial pre-intervention measures suggest that there is room for clinically relevant improvement in these scores. This work was supported by NIEHS (1R01ES016336-01).