Community Action to Promote Healthy Environments

NIH RePORTER · NIH · R01 · $596,716 · view on reporter.nih.gov ↗

Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY The overarching goals of the Community Action to Promote Healthy Environments (CAPHE) partnership, established in 2014, are to: (1) develop new knowledge on local community-prioritized air pollutants; (2) implement components of our scientifically-grounded community-informed Public Health Action Plan (PHAP) to reduce exposure and improve health; (3) expand community engagement in environmental health research and action; and (4) evaluate the process and impact of these collaborative efforts. Building on long-standing community-based participatory research (CBPR) partnerships engaging community-based organizations (CBOs), local and state governments, and academic partners, CAPHE conducted collaborative research, training, education and outreach on air pollution, an environmental priority of the Detroit community, and health impacts. We documented air pollutant levels, sources and distribution, quantified health impacts and inequities, identified mitigation strategies, and projected health benefits of selected strategies. Our PHAP detailed 25 scientifically based community-prioritized recommendations and action strategies to reduce pollutant exposure and adverse health effects. CAPHE partners, leading advocates for air quality and health in Detroit, are working to implement prioritized recommendations. This renewal application, CAPHE: Advancing Air Quality and Health, will substantially expand the scope and impact of our successful research-to-action partnership through four aims: (1) increase knowledge of environmental exposures and associated health impacts by establishing a community-based ambient monitoring network and data portal for key air pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, organic carbon, black carbon); (2) improve indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in schools and other child-serving organizations located near major roads and industrial sites with high levels of cumulative risk, using advanced air filtration practices and other strategies; (3) engage youth, educators, parents, CBOs and business leaders in air quality research and translation, increasing environmental health literacy, access to resources, and skills working with decision makers; and (4) increase effectiveness, engagement and impact of actions in Specific Aims 1-3 using ongoing formative process and impact/outcome evaluation. The proposed project will be implemented by a team that includes five Detroit CBOs with extensive records of environmental leadership, five academic researchers with complementary expertise, and experienced state and local government partners. CAPHE has a strong history of CBPR, experience in air quality monitoring, data interpretation, and impact analysis (Aim 1); IEQ improvements (Aim 2); community engagement and translation of research to action (Aim 3); and process and impact evaluation to maximize engagement and effectiveness (Aim 4). This research-to-action proposal addresses community priorities of air quality and children's health using lin...

Key facts

NIH application ID
10320361
Project number
5R01ES032389-02
Recipient
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
Principal Investigator
STUART A BATTERMAN
Activity code
R01
Funding institute
NIH
Fiscal year
2022
Award amount
$596,716
Award type
5
Project period
2021-01-01 → 2025-10-31