Implementation of a Panel Exposure and Health Study in a Rural Setting

摘要

Drivers of environmental health disparities may differ between urban, suburban, and rural regions. The CURE COPD Program focuses on environmental determinants of COPD with a goal of identifying approaches to reduce harmful exposures and improve health among those living in poverty with COPD in rural and urban settings. The CURE COPD Appalachia project is a collaboration between East Tennessee State University and Johns Hopkins University. Through this partnership, we have designed and implemented a longitudinal study focused on identifying sources of indoor air pollution and measuring the impact of exposure on respiratory morbidity in COPD. The study includes detailed home inspection and continuous air monitoring for one week at baseline, 3, and 6 months with simultaneous assessment of respiratory health outcomes. The successful implementation of this study has required that we address challenges through community engagement, intensive training of study staff, frequent communication between study teams, and with the assistance of community based champions of the project. We discuss lessons learned though our partnership and the conduct of this longitudinal environmental cohort study.