Behavioral Research of Environment and Air Pollution Through Education (BREATHE)

The BREATHE (Behavioral Research of Environment and Air Pollution Through Education) study is a pilot randomized control trial comparing the efficacy of a classroom-based intervention to no intervention in helping middle-school students understand and make behavioral decisions about air pollution. This study is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the classroom-based intervention on knowledge of air pollution, understanding of air pollution sources, and behavioral choices made to reduce both contributions to air pollution and personal exposure to air pollution. It has been well established that pollution is a racial and economic issue. Low-income areas with populations of predominantly people of color tend to be those with the highest rates of pollution and the largest particulate exposure. Creation of and exposure to this pollution is a key issue for the health of inhabitants of these areas, and of those in the broader surrounding areas. By developing, and assessing the effectiveness of, the investigators hope that the BREATHE study will give the investigators insights into how to better combat this higher exposure and reduce the health risks for those in high pollution areas. The study will take place in 4 visits over a period of 12 months. The hypothesis is that the classroom-based intervention will be effective in leading to behaviors that will reduce exposure to air pollution.

Students are presented with a one-hour interactive information session about air pollution and the environment.

Inclusion Criteria: Ability to read, write, and understand English at a middle school level Willing to participate in follow up visits Exclusion Criteria: Learning disabilities such as autism Moving out of the area in the next 6 months Inability to complete the questionnaires