# AIM to Improve Asthma: Airflow Improvements during Meal-prep

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY · 2020 · $305,518

## Abstract

Asthma is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases of childhood. Because children spend many hours
indoors at home, interventions to decrease asthma-exacerbating exposures in the home could have profound
impacts. In addition, many pollutants, such as fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) have
higher levels indoors than outdoors, even in the developed world. Air pollutants may worsen asthma
symptoms through multiple mechanisms, including by directly increasing airways inflammation. One of the
primary sources of indoor pollutants in the United States is cooking with gas stoves, and cooking-related
pollutants have been shown to be related to increases in asthma symptoms. In a nationally representative
sample, children who live in homes where cooking ventilation is not used have higher rates of asthma and
other respiratory diseases. This study will be a pilot stepped-wedge randomized trial in homes with both a child
with asthma and a gas stove, assessing an intensive cooking ventilation intervention. The long-term goal is to
provide the scientific rationale for an easily implementable household air pollution intervention. The primary
aim of this project will be to assess the effect of the cooking ventilation intervention on household PM2.5 and
NO2 levels, and a secondary aim is to assess the effect of the cooking ventilation on short-term measures of
pediatric asthma control, as improvements could result either from changes in PM2.5 and NO2 or from changes
in other chemicals. As a youth participatory action research project, a third aim will be to develop scientific
leadership capacity in community youth. This will be the first trial to both replace stove hoods for improved
cooking ventilation in the homes of children with asthma and objectively measure both stove and hood fan use.
Moreover, the stepped wedge design will allow for analysis in two ways: first as a randomized controlled trial
(to minimize confounding) and secondly as a before-after trial (to maximize sample size). All homes will
receive measurement of air flow through the range hood, and an intervention with two parts: (1) replacement of
the range hood if air flow is less than the California building code level of 100 cubic feet per minute (cfm) or
intolerably noisy and (2) intensive education regarding the use of the range hood during all cooking events and
cleaning of the grease screen. A manufacturer (Broan), which has no role in the design of the study, plans to
provide replacement hoods if the airflow is inadequate. Stove and Range hood sensors will also be installed in
participant homes for the entire 3-week data collection period, with study visits at initiation and every week
thereafter, for a total of four visits spanning three weeks of data collection. Those randomized to group 1 (30
homes) will receive the intervention after one week of baseline data collection and group 2 (30 homes) will
receive it after two weeks. Measured variables will include stov...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9896653
- **Project number:** 1R21ES030173-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY
- **Principal Investigator:** John R Balmes
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $305,518
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-03-18 → 2022-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9896653

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9896653, AIM to Improve Asthma: Airflow Improvements during Meal-prep (1R21ES030173-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9896653. Licensed CC0.

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