# The effect of household air pollution on lung function growth in infants with pneumonia in sub-Saharan Africa.

> **NIH NIH K23** · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · 2024 · $74,848

## Abstract

From Parent Agreement
PROJECT SUMMARY
Pneumonia is the leading infectious cause of death among young children worldwide, with most cases
occurring in low and middle-income countries. Children who survive pneumonia have an increased risk of
impaired lung development, reduced lung function, and chronic respiratory disease in adulthood. Our
preliminary data from an ongoing cohort study in Uganda demonstrate a high rate of chronic respiratory
symptoms among children who had a prior episode of pneumonia and near-universal exposure to household
air pollution from biomass fuel combustion. Reducing household air pollution may provide an opportunity to
improve lung development in children with pneumonia and prevent development of chronic respiratory disease.
My central hypothesis is that infants recovering from pneumonia are at particularly increased risk of reduced
lung function growth when exposed to household air pollution, and that reducing exposure to household air
pollution will improve lung function growth. In this K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Career Development Award,
I will test this hypothesis within my mentors’ already established study of 8,700 children in Uganda through an
observational study and pilot intervention trial with the following Specific Aims: (1) to measure the effect of
pneumonia on the rate of lung function growth among young infants, (2) to measure the effect of particulate
matter exposure (PM2.5) on lung function growth, and (3) to determine the feasibility and acceptability of a
clean cookstove intervention in families of young infants with pneumonia. The accompanying training plan will
allow me to build on an existing foundation of clinical and epidemiologic skills to (1) develop expertise in infant
lung physiology and testing, (2) develop expertise in household air pollution research methods, and (3) develop
skills in qualitative research and clinical trial design for low-resource settings. This study will provide critical
preliminary data and a training platform to launch my career as an independent investigator in global
respiratory research, with a long-term goal of understanding the mechanisms of impaired lung development
and developing interventions to improve respiratory health for children and adults living in low-income
countries. Supported by mentors and collaborators who are internationally-known experts in pneumonia,
household air pollution, infant lung function, qualitative research, and clinical trial design, the proposed
research will leverage the wealth of resources available at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical
School and a longstanding collaboration with Mbarara University of Science and Technology in Uganda. This
proposal addresses NHLBI’s Strategic Vision Objective #4, to investigate factors that account for differences in
health among populations, and is directly responsive to a research gap identified in the 2014 NHLBI Workshop
on the Primary Prevention of Chronic Lung Diseases, to study h...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11022490
- **Project number:** 3K23ES030399-05S1
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** PETER P MOSCHOVIS
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $74,848
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2024-03-14 → 2025-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11022490

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11022490, The effect of household air pollution on lung function growth in infants with pneumonia in sub-Saharan Africa. (3K23ES030399-05S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11022490. Licensed CC0.

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