Project Funder: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Project Partner: The Boston Medical Center
Project Contact: David E. Jacobs, djacobs@nchh.org, 410.992.0712
Project Description: This study investigates three leading allergen sampling methods to determine which correlates best with asthma clinical status to provide the field evidence base needed for method standardization. The study is using three methods of measuring allergens in settled house dust, with individual, single-surface, non-composited samples collected from three areas (child’s bed, living room, and kitchen). The standardization of methods will improve targeting of interventions in homes of asthmatic children. Current medical practice includes standardized diagnostic testing of patients, but only rarely does it include the measurement of asthma triggers and allergens in the home environment. The allergen collection methods will be the same methods that were used in a laboratory-based study that assesses collection efficiency and other factors previously funded by HUD. Together, these two studies will permit assessments of collection efficiency and the relative ability of each sampling method to predict asthma.