American Lung Association (ALA) Lung Health Cohort

February 2, 2026 updated by: Johns Hopkins University

The American Lung Association (ALA) Lung Health Cohort

The ALA-LHC is a longitudinal, multi-center cohort study that will enroll approximately 4,000 young adults between the ages of 25-35 who do not have severe lung disease. The overarching objective of the ALA-LHC is to establish a national cohort of young adults for the purpose of defining lung health and developing targets to intercept chronic lung disease at its earliest stages.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Detailed Description

The scientific goal of the study is to establish the relationship between a variety of factors (lifetime environmental exposures, fitness and physical activity, biomarkers, nasal respiratory epithelial transcriptome) and ideal versus impaired peak lung health (reserve and markers of susceptibility in investigators' model) in young adulthood. In addition to the initial baseline assessment, remote contacts (e.g., via text message, email, mail, or phone) at regular intervals will allow for both the retention of the participants as well as the collection of additional short-term follow-up information, i.e., within 4.5 years of enrollment. If additional funding becomes available, investigators will extend the study for an additional period of time to study factors related to long-term changes in lung health over time, i.e., at 5 years and beyond. Recruitment of participants will be conducted by the participating study sites along with national and regional efforts from the American Lung Association. Recruitment efforts will be supported by the study web site www.lung.org/lung-study

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

4000

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: Elizabeth Sugar, PhD
  • Phone Number: 443-287-3170
  • Email: esugar2@jhu.edu

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Alabama
      • Birmingham, Alabama, United States, 35294
        • Recruiting
        • University of Alabama
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Michael Wells, MD
        • Contact:
    • Arizona
      • Tucson, Arizona, United States, 85724
        • Recruiting
        • University of Arizona-Tuscon
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Fernando Martinez, PhD, MSPH
        • Contact:
    • California
      • Los Angeles, California, United States, 90095
        • Recruiting
        • University of California, Los Angeles
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Igor Barjaktarevic
      • San Francisco, California, United States, 94143
        • Recruiting
        • University of California, San Francisco
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Stephanie Christenson, MD
    • Colorado
      • Aurora, Colorado, United States, 80045
        • Active, not recruiting
        • University of Colorado
      • Denver, Colorado, United States, 80206
        • Recruiting
        • National Jewish Health
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Barry Make, MD
        • Contact:
    • Florida
      • Jacksonville, Florida, United States, 32207
        • Recruiting
        • Nemours Children's Jacksonville
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Kathryn Blake, PharmD
        • Contact:
      • Jacksonville, Florida, United States, 32209
        • Recruiting
        • University of Florida, Jacksonville
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Vandana Seeram, MD
        • Contact:
    • Illinois
      • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60611
        • Recruiting
        • Northwestern University
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Ravi Kalhan, MD
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Lewis Smith, MD
      • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60608
        • Recruiting
        • University of Illinois at Chicago
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Lynn Gerald, PhD
        • Contact:
      • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60637
        • Withdrawn
        • University of Chicago
      • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60612
        • Recruiting
        • Rush Universtiy
        • Principal Investigator:
          • James Moy, MD
        • Contact:
    • Indiana
      • Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 46260
        • Withdrawn
        • St. Vincent's Health System
    • Iowa
      • Iowa City, Iowa, United States, 52242
        • Recruiting
        • University of Iowa
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Alejandro Comellas, MD
    • Kansas
      • Kansas City, Kansas, United States, 66103
        • Recruiting
        • University of Kansas
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Mario Castro, MD, MPH
        • Contact:
    • Maryland
      • Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21218
        • Recruiting
        • Johns Hopkins University
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Nadia Hansel
    • Massachusetts
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02115
        • Withdrawn
        • Brigham and Women's
    • Michigan
      • Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States, 48109
        • Recruiting
        • University of Michigan
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Meilan Han, MD
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Alan Baptist, MD, MPH
        • Contact:
    • New York
      • Brooklyn, New York, United States, 11215
        • Not yet recruiting
        • Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Jerem Weingarten, MD, MBA, MS
      • Hawthorne, New York, United States, 10532
        • Recruiting
        • New York Medical College
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Allen Dozor, MD
      • New York, New York, United States, 10032
        • Not yet recruiting
        • Columbia University
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Emily DiMango, MD
        • Contact:
      • New York, New York, United States, 10016
        • Withdrawn
        • New York University
      • New York, New York, United States, 10029
        • Recruiting
        • Mt. Sinai, NYC
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Linda Rogers, MD
        • Contact:
      • New York, New York, United States, 10032
        • Recruiting
        • Cornell University
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Robert Kaner
        • Contact:
      • Rochester, New York, United States, 14642
        • Recruiting
        • University of Rochester
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Sandhya Khurana, MD
    • North Carolina
      • Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, 27517
        • Active, not recruiting
        • University of North Carolina Hospital
      • Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27710
        • Recruiting
        • Duke University
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Loretta Que, MD
      • Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States, 27104
        • Recruiting
        • Wake Forest School of Medicine
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Wendy Moore, MD
    • Ohio
      • Columbus, Ohio, United States, 43210
        • Recruiting
        • Ohio State University
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Philip Diaz
        • Contact:
    • Pennsylvania
      • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19140
        • Recruiting
        • Temple University
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Nathaniel Marchetti, MD
      • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15213
        • Recruiting
        • University of Pittsburg-Emphysema/COPD Research Center
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Frank Sciurba, MD
        • Contact:
          • Elizabeth Stempkowski
        • Contact:
    • South Carolina
      • Charleston, South Carolina, United States, 29425
        • Recruiting
        • Medical University of South Carolina
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Charlie Strange, MD
        • Contact:
    • Tennessee
      • Nashville, Tennessee, United States, 37235
        • Recruiting
        • Vanderbilt University Medical Center
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Leonard Bacharier
        • Contact:
    • Texas
      • Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
        • Recruiting
        • Baylor College of Medicine
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Nicola Hanania, MD
    • Vermont
      • Colchester, Vermont, United States, 05446
        • Recruiting
        • University of Vermont
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Charles Irvin, PhD
        • Contact:
    • Washington
      • Seattle, Washington, United States, 98108
        • Not yet recruiting
        • University of Washington
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • David Au, MD
    • Wisconsin
      • Madison, Wisconsin, United States, 53792
        • Withdrawn
        • University of Wisconsin Madison

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 31 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Young adults between 25 and 35 year of age at baseline

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1- Age 25-35 years at the time of the baseline examination 2- Able to read and understand English or Spanish 3 -Has a social security number 4- Resident (citizen or non-citizen) of the United States (US) for at least 12 months prior to examination. Note: Individuals who are residents of the US who have temporarily spent time living outside of the US during the last 12 months (e.g., student exchange program, military posting) are eligible for participation.

5- Willing to provide contact information for at least 2 proxies who are likely to know the whereabouts and vital status of the participant

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Severe asthma, which is defined as any of the following:

    1. Current (i.e. at the time of the visit) GINA Step 4 or higher therapy (medium dose ICS/LABA or high dose ICS or add-on LAMA; Medium dose = >250 fluticasone, propionate =100 fluticasone furoate, >200 beclomethasone, >400 budesonide, >220 mometasone). We will accept low-dose ICS/LABA or medium dose ICS.

      OR

    2. 3 or more unscheduled healthcare visits (provider/urgent care/ER) for asthma in the past 12 months OR
    3. One asthma hospitalization in the past 12 months
  2. History of any chronic lung disease other than asthma including but not limited to COPD, cystic fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension
  3. Current pregnancy
  4. History of cancer other than non-melanoma skin cancer
  5. Diagnosed cardiovascular diseases (i.e., congenital heart disease, coronary heart disease)

  6. Inability to comply with study procedures, including

    1. Inability or unwillingness to provide informed consent
    2. Inability to perform study measurements
    3. Inability to be contacted by phone (via calls and/or text messaging) or email
  7. Any condition in the opinion of the physician that puts the participant at risk by participating in the study (e.g., serious respiratory illness requiring antibiotics or steroids or severe fever at the time of the study visit).
  8. Institutionalization

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

  • Observational Models: Cohort
  • Time Perspectives: Prospective

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pre-bronchodilator measurement of Forced Expiratory Volume in one second (FEV1)
Time Frame: Baseline
Pre-bronchodilator measurements of FEV1 to determine bronchoconstriction. FEV1 is measured in liters of air. Severity of bronchoconstriction is based on predicted values published by National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III hankinson) for height, weight and age. Predicted values are reported as percent predicted with a result of 80% or greater considered normal
Baseline
Pre-bronchodilator measurements of Forced Vital Capacity (FVC)
Time Frame: Baseline
Pre-bronchodilator measurements FVC to determine lung volume. FVC is measured in liters of air. Participants predicted vital lung capacity is based on values published by National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III hankinson) for height, weight and age. Predicted values are reported as percent predicted with a result of 80% or greater considered normal
Baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Johns Hopkins University

Collaborators

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Stanford University
American Lung Association

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Ravi Kalhan, MD, Northwestern University

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 (Actual)

October 29, 2021

Primary Completion (Estimated)

September 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

September 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 2, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 2, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

September 10, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 4, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 2, 2026

Last Verified

February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • IRB00236497
  • U01HL146408 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

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.

Subscribe