Translating Indoor Air Quality Data Into Action

November 6, 2026 updated by: Boston University

Translating Indoor Air Quality Data Into Action: A Randomized Trial Of Tiered Information Strategies To Improve Household Air Quality

Poor indoor air quality affects the health of millions of Americans. People spend most of their time indoors, yet indoor air can be more polluted than outdoor air. Many everyday activities, such as cooking, using fireplaces, cleaning, and using air fresheners, affect indoor air quality, but most people don't know how their choices affect the air they breathe.

This study will test whether giving people information about their indoor air quality motivates them to make healthier choices. We will work with 120 households, providing them with air quality monitors and sending different types of information about their indoor air quality. Through randomized assignment, some will receive general tips, while others will get personalized messages based on their home's air quality patterns.

By understanding how to best help people create healthier indoor environments, respiratory health can e protected across diverse communities. This research could lead to practical, affordable ways for families to breathe cleaner air at home.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

120

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

  • Name: Kipruto Kirwa, PhD, MPH
  • Phone Number: 617-358-1911
  • Email: kirwa@bu.edu

Study Contact Backup

  • Name: Eliza Pentz, MS
  • Phone Number: 617-358-3728
  • Email: eppentz@bu.edu

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

21 years to 45 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Is an active female participant in PRESTO (aged 21-45 years and trying to conceive at PRESTO enrollment, per PRESTO eligibility) who has completed the PRESTO baseline questionnaire and has not withdrawn from PRESTO.
  2. Lives in the United States and has a residence where a monitor can be safely placed for approximately four months after the baseline period.
  3. Has home Wi-Fi internet that the monitor can connect to.
  4. Has a smartphone or tablet that can run the monitor's companion app.
  5. Does not plan to move out of her current home within the next 6 months.
  6. Is willing to complete the study activities: monthly online questionnaires for 6 months, four 2-day activity logs, keeping the monitor plugged in at home for about 4 months, undergo random assignment, receiving study emails, text messages, and other communication, and returning the monitor at the end.
  7. Be able to provide informed consent in English.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Currently has an indoor air quality monitor in the home that displays levels of particles, VOCs, or CO2 (smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, and radon detectors do not count). Rationale: households that already see IAQ data cannot provide a true "no-monitor" baseline period.
  2. Is an employee, student, or trainee of any member of the study team.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: LCM-O (monitor only)

Participants randomized to this arm will only receive a LCM-O monitor.

Indoor air quality monitor with real-time display and companion app; standard setup and safety guide; routine study operational messages (e.g., questionnaire reminders), which contain no IAQ content.

Active Comparator: LCM-R (monitor + generic reminders)

Participants randomized to this arm will receive a LCM-O monitor and generic reminders.

Everything in Arm 1, plus a brief generic IAQ tip and reminder to review the monitor every two weeks, drawn from a fixed library based on EPA guidance and the literature (8 messages over 4 months, starting 2 weeks after activation).

Experimental: LCM-I (monitor + personalized insights)

Participants randomized to this arm will receive a LCM-O monitor and personalized insights.

Everything in Arm 1, plus a personalized message every two weeks that describes patterns in the household's own monitor data from the previous 14 days and suggests one or two specific actions, with links to further information (8 messages, starting 2 weeks after activation).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Behavior Score
Time Frame: Baseline, 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 4 months, 5 months, 6 months

The IAQ Behavior Score measures how human actions, habits, or responses contribute to or mitigate indoor pollution. Data will be collected from a IAQ questionnaire. The score will range from 1-100 and higher scores are more favorable.

Baseline, 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 4 months, 5 months, 6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Collaborators

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Kipruto Kirrwa, PhD, MPH, Boston University School of Public Health, Environmental Health

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

February 1, 2027

Primary Completion (Estimated)

January 1, 2029

Study Completion (Estimated)

January 1, 2029

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 6, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 6, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

November 12, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

November 12, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 6, 2026

Last Verified

November 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • H-47323
  • IAA-1579103 (Other Grant/Funding Number: American Lung Association)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.