R01HL152419

Environmental Determinants of Sleep Disparities and the Consequences for Low-Income Children with Asthma

Asthma and Sleep-Disordered Breathing (SDB) are common chronic diseases that disproportionately affect black children and those living in poor neighborhoods. Household environmental exposures have been shown to increase asthma morbidity, and there is strong biological rationale that these exposures will impact sleep quality. However, to date, there have been limited studies of the indoor environment and sleep.

Our overarching goal is to define home environmental determinants of sleep disparities and the contribution of sleep disparities to childhood asthma morbidity among low-income, predominantly black children living in Baltimore City. The home environment is critical as children spend the majority of their time indoors, most of it in their own home, and approximately one-third of it in the bedroom, which is the environment most relevant for sleep.

We propose to comprehensively study the bedroom environment, including air quality, allergens, microbes, and their relationship with sleep quality in children with asthma. Our prior studies have shown that children in Baltimore City live in homes where bedroom levels of air pollution are three times the concentrations recommended by the World Health Organization Indoor Air Quality Standards. Additionally, mouse allergen, present in high concentrations, is a driver of asthma morbidity in Baltimore. Bedroom dust and nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus are prevalent, and emerging evidence suggests that bedroom exposure to this bacteria and its toxic protein products are associated with nocturnal asthma.

There is biological plausibility that bedroom environmental exposures increase inflammation and oxidative stress responses in the upper airway, contributing to the risk for and severity of SDB. While there is emerging evidence that environmental exposures impact sleep, there is a need for studies with objective assessments in children. Our research team has extensive experience in the conduct of home environmental monitoring and simultaneously assessing health outcomes in children.

In the proposed project, we aim to determine the association between:
a) Bedroom environmental exposures (air quality, allergens, microbes) and sleep quality among children with asthma in Baltimore City.
b) Bedroom environmental exposures and upper airway inflammation/oxidative stress.
c) Sleep quality and asthma morbidity among children with asthma in Baltimore City.

This comprehensive study of bedroom environment and sleep among inner-city African American children has the potential to provide foundational evidence for environmental drivers of poor sleep quality. This evidence is needed to design interventions to reduce sleep and asthma health disparities.

The Johns Hopkins University

THE NATIONAL CENTER ON SLEEP DISORDERS RESEARCH (NCSDR) SUPPORTS RESEARCH AND RESEARCH TRAINING RELATED TO SLEEP DISORDERED BREATHING, AND THE FUNDAMENTAL FUNCTIONS OF SLEEP AND CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS. THE CENTER ALSO STEWARDS SEVERAL FORUMS THAT FACILITATE THE COORDINATION OF SLEEP RESEARCH ACROSS NIH, OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES AND OUTSIDE ORGANIZATIONS, INCLUDING THE SLEEP DISORDERS RESEARCH ADVISORY BOARD AND AN NIH-WIDE SLEEP RESEARCH COORDINATING COMMITTEE. THE CENTER ALSO PARTICIPATES IN THE TRANSLATION OF NEW SLEEP RESEARCH FINDINGS FOR DISSEMINATION TO HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS AND THE PUBLIC. SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) PROGRAM: TO STIMULATE TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION, USE SMALL BUSINESS TO MEET FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT NEEDS, FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION IN INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP BY SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED PERSONS, AND INCREASE PRIVATE-SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FUNDING. SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR) PROGRAM: TO STIMULATE TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION, FOSTER TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER THROUGH COOPERATIVE R&D BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESSES AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, AND INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL R&D.

93.837 - Cardiovascular Diseases Research

National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) [HHS - NIH]

Baltimore, Maryland 212051832 United States

Single Zip Code

Mechanisms and Consequences of Sleep Disparities in the U.S. (R01 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (PAR-20-164)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 372% from $740,913 to $3,496,732.