# Physical Activity and Dose of Air Pollution in Pediatric Urban Asthma: Impact of Minute Ventilation

> **NIH NIH K01** · COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · 2020 · $172,908

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 Exposure to traffic related air pollution (TRAP) is known to trigger childhood asthma
symptoms and likely contributes to the disparity in asthma prevalence and morbidity in urban
communities. Regular physical activity can improve asthma symptoms. However, increased
minute ventilation (ie respiratory rate x tidal volume) during activity may increase deposition of
pollutant particles into the airways. Thus, pollution may offset the respiratory benefits of physical
activity. One of the challenges of accurately assessing the combined effects of pollution and
activity on the airways is that inhaled dose of pollutants could vary by proximity to exposure
source and by individual differences in minute ventilation. Therefore, our objective is take an
individualized approach to assess change in minute ventilation during childhood activities while
also considering variability in home and school exposure to TRAP.
 We hypothesize that the positive association between exposure to TRAP and asthma
symptoms will be most significant among children that are 1) highly physically active and 2)
have larger increases in minute ventilation in response to physical activity. In order to address
this hypothesis we will take advantage of 2 existing cohorts of children with differing severity of
asthma that are enrolled in the Inner City Asthma Consortium (ICAC) studies. For our first aim
we will examine the interaction between exposure to TRAP (assessed at home and school
using geographic information systems (GIS) technology) and physical activity (assessed by
validated questionnaire) on asthma symptoms. We will evaluate these associations in: 1) a
cross-sectional cohort of 320 moderate-severe asthmatics, ages 6-17 that live in 10 urban US
cities and 2) a 3 year longitudinal cohort of 150 mild-moderate asthmatics, ages 12-16 that live
in 4 urban US cities. For our second aim we will recruit a sub-sample of 40 children with mild-
moderate asthma that live in New York City. We will combine individual cardiopulmonary
exercise testing (CPET) with 72-hour accelerometry measurements to determine the magnitude
of increase in minute ventilation in response to usual childhood activities. Then we will use
these values to determine if larger individual increases in minute ventilation influence the
relationship between exposure to TRAP and asthma symptoms. With an enhanced
understanding of individual susceptibility to environmentally triggered asthma, we will be better
equipped to address and remediate the disproportionate risk of asthma morbidity among urban
children.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9905413
- **Project number:** 5K01HL140216-03
- **Recipient organization:** COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES
- **Principal Investigator:** Stephanie Lovinsky-Desir
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $172,908
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-04-15 → 2022-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9905413

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9905413, Physical Activity and Dose of Air Pollution in Pediatric Urban Asthma: Impact of Minute Ventilation (5K01HL140216-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9905413. Licensed CC0.

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