Promoting Risk Reduction Among Young Adults With Asthma During Wildfire Smoke Events (TRAK)

Summary

This research will contribute to fundamental knowledge about how young adults with asthma perceive their personal health risks to wildfire smoke, minimize their risk, and improve their health. The investigators will compare young adults who use 'Smoke Sense,' an EPA-developed smart phone application (app), with young adults who use the app plus engage in preventive activities, with young adults who do not use the app. Study aims are to:

1. Establish the feasibility (recruitment, enrollment, retention rates), acceptability (intervention engagement, fidelity, usability, attitude) and barriers and facilitators of adopting the technology of the Smoke Sense interventions and use of portable devices in young adults with asthma;
2. Explore the preliminary impact of the Smoke Sense interventions on lung function and asthma control. These primary outcomes will be assessed using objective measures (spirometry) and validated, self-report tools.

Secondary outcomes will be anxiety, exposure reduction behaviors (e.g. stayed indoors, wore a mask), and symptom mitigating behaviors (use of medication, unscheduled health care appointments), measured via self-report and a Global Positioning System device. Outcome by group will be summarized. Preliminary evidence of treatment effect and its variance will be examined for a future clinical trial;
3. Explore potential mediators (medication adherence, self-management skills, stress) and moderators (asthma severity/control) of the interventions to asthma outcomes. The long-term goal is to minimize asthma exacerbations from exposure to wildfire smoke.

The long-term goal of the study is to minimize asthma exacerbations from exposure to wildfire smoke.

Conditions

• Asthma

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Smoke Sense

Smoke Sense is a smartphone application (app). Smoke Sense participants will be asked to establish a profile which includes demographics, baseline health information and current beliefs about smoke and air pollution. In the Symptoms \& Smoke Observations tab, participants are asked to report their weekly observations of smoke, health symptoms, and exposure reduction behaviors. In the Fire \& Smoke Near Me tab, participants review the most recent AQ data measured at an AQ monitoring sites. Participants are asked to complete the AQ 101 module which test knowledge of AQ facts and provides correct answers. Badges are awarded for accomplishments within the app to promote certain desired behaviors: completing a user profile, launching the app weekly to check local AQ, reporting smoke and symptom observations, expanding AQ knowledge with AQ lessons, and exploring the map. Finally, participants can engage with other users by viewing cumulative statistics of symptoms and smoke observations.

BEHAVIORAL

Smoke Sense Plus

Participants randomized to the Smoke Sense Plus intervention will be asked to do everything that the Smoke Sense intervention group does on a weekly basis, as well as: 1) Receive weekly push notifications that remind them to, for example, review their asthma action plan, refill any expired medications, take their daily controller medication, identify a clean air space in their home and community, 2) Monitor their lung function weekly via mobile spirometry, and 3) Subscribe to a social network to share strategies to minimize exposure.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)

  collaborator NIH

• Washington State University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Julie M Postma, PhD · Washington State University College of Nursing

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

26 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2020-08-06

Primary Completion

2020-12-11

Completion

2020-12-14

Countries

• United States

Study Locations