# Aeroallergens, Air Pollution and Respiratory Health in the Chickasaw Nation A1

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA HLTH SCIENCES CTR · 2021 · $237,048

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
American Indians are disproportionately impacted by asthma. The Chickasaw Nation, located in southcentral
Oklahoma, reports clinic visits for asthma as one of the top diagnoses, accounting for 7% of patients at
Chickasaw Nation Department of Health. Due to the high patient burden for asthma in Chickasaw Nation, the
Tribe has identified a need to better understand risk factors for asthma-related morbidity. The long-term goal of
this research is to understand the impact of aeroallergens and anthropogenic air pollution on asthma morbidity
in Chickasaw Nation and to investigate more efficient ways to monitor, control, and ultimately prevent asthma
morbidity among this highly-susceptible population. The Chickasaw Nation provides clinical and public health
services for the majority of American Indians residing within their jurisdictional area in southcentral Oklahoma;
thus, improving the health of the Tribe promotes the health of the overall community. This study provides a
unique opportunity to evaluate the effect of ambient aeroallergens (pollen) and anthropogenic air pollution
(particulate matter, ozone) on asthma-related morbidity using a novel device to measure the time and location
of metered-dose inhaler (MDI) use in a rural, American Indian population. This in-depth study will allow
researchers and the Tribe to: 1) evaluate the association of spatially- and temporally-resolved aeroallergens and
anthropogenic pollutants with Global Positioning System (GPS)-enabled MDIs among Chickasaw Nation
community members with asthma, and 2) compare the participants' perceived individual and neighborhood
asthma triggers to the spatial and temporal data collected through the MDIs using sketch maps and interviews.
We are partnering with Propeller Health to use GPS-enabled MDIs to measure asthma exacerbations, which will
allow us to collect the exact time and location of the MDI actuation. We will evaluate whether the measured
exposures are associated with MDI actuation using a time-series model accounting for lag times up to one week.
At the end of the study, the participants will develop sketch maps that describe the perceived geographic
locations of their asthma triggers. Our central hypothesis is that aeroallergen and air pollution levels in Chickasaw
Nation interact synergistically to increase the prevalence of asthma-related morbidity. Longitudinal data on
aeroallergens and asthma are sparse in American Indian populations and awareness of triggers will help improve
asthma management in Chickasaw Nation. This study provides a unique opportunity to evaluate the effect of
aeroallergens and anthropogenic air pollution on asthma morbidity using a novel device to measure the time,
frequency, and location of MDI use in this population.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10239486
- **Project number:** 1R21ES031553-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA HLTH SCIENCES CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** Amanda E Janitz
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $237,048
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-05-01 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10239486

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10239486, Aeroallergens, Air Pollution and Respiratory Health in the Chickasaw Nation A1 (1R21ES031553-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10239486. Licensed CC0.

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