William H. Farquhar Middle School, Olney, MD. Photo credit: Patrick Ross
School Health Research Library
We have curated a library of peer-reviewed scientific studies from around the world published since 2016, focusing on the school built environment and occupant health and performance. This research builds on the 2017 Schools for Health: Foundations for Student Success report released by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health that synthesizes foundational research about school indoor environmental quality impacts on students and staff.
To help translate this research into action in schools, we have compiled School Health Research Highlights to help school staff and leaders access key findings and actionable strategies on priority topics.
Displaying 181 - 190 of 355 | Export entire research library
Asthma symptoms and respiratory infections in Malaysian students-associations with ethnicity and chemical exposure at home and school
Norback, Dan
Totally 4.8% were smokers, 10.3% had wheeze, 9.3% current asthma, and had 18.8% any respiratory infection in the past 3 months. Malay students had more dampness or mould (p < 0.001), more environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) (p < 0.001) and more…
Keywords: Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), Para-dichlorobenzene, Ethylbenzene, School environment, Asthma, Respiratory infections
The Effects of Traffic Air Pollution in and around Schools on Executive Function and Academic Performance in Children: A Rapid Review
Gartland, Nicole
. Findings suggest that indoor and outdoor particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 µm or less (PM2.5) negatively influences executive function and academic achievement and that indoor and outdoor nitrogen dioxide (NO2) adversely affects working…
Keywords: Traffic-related air pollution, Cognitive function, Working memory, School, Children, Academic achievement, Review
School Environmental Intervention Programs
Permaul, Perdita
Although years of previous research have linked exposures in the urban home environment with significant childhood asthma disease, many of these allergens are also present in inner-city school environments. Therefore, evaluation of the school…
Keywords: Asthma, Environment, Allergy, Pollutants, Inner-city, Home, School, Intervention, Integrated pest management
Passive PM2.5 control plan of educational buildings by using airtight improvement technologies in South Korea
Yang, Sungwoong
As a result of the experiment, it was analyzed that air leakage was reduced by up to 37% and fine dust by 22%.
Keywords: Particulate matter (PM), School, Educational buildings, Air-tightness, Infiltration, Particulate matter (PM)
Asthma symptoms among Chinese children: the role of ventilation and PM10 exposure at school and home
Fan, X-J
The prevalence of current wheeze, daytime attacks of breathlessness, nocturnal cough, nocturnal respiratory symptoms and RI was respectively 4.4%, 18.7%, 11.6%, 3.6% and 32.3%. Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) at home was associated with daytime…
Keywords: Asthmatic symptoms, Dampness, Particulate matter (PM), Respiratory infections, School students
Indoor/Outdoor Relationships and Anthropogenic Elemental Signatures in Airborne PM2.5 at a High School: Impacts of Petroleum Refining Emissions on Lanthanoid Enrichment
Bozlaker, Ayse
Average indoor-to-outdoor (I/O) abundance ratios for the majority of elements were close to unity providing evidence that indoor metal-bearing PM2.5 had predominantly outdoor origins. Only Co had an I/O abundance ratio >1 but its indoor sources…
Keywords:
Reopening higher education buildings in post-epidemic COVID-19 scenario: monitoring and assessment of indoor environmental quality after implementing ventilation protocols in Spain and Portugal
de le Hoz-Torres, María L
Results showed that although renewal air protocols were effective and the mean CO2 concentration levels remained low (742 ppm and 519 ppm in Portugal and Spain universities, respectively), students were dissatisfied with the current indoor…
Keywords: Building management, Built environment, Indoor environmental quality, New-normal scenario, Sensor monitoring
Indoor fungal diversity in primary schools may differently influence allergic sensitization and asthma in children
Rufo, João Cavaleiro
Classrooms with increased diversity scores showed a significantly lower prevalence of children with atopic sensitization, but not asthma. The risk of sensitization increased with increasing endotoxin exposure in classrooms. Similarly, significantly…
Keywords: Endotoxins, Exposure, Fungi, Indoor air, Microbiologic diversity, microbiome, School, Sensitization
Characterization and cancer risk assessment of VOCs in home and school environments in gran La Plata, Argentina
Coleman Lerner, Jorge Esteban
Higher levels of VOCs were found in homes and schools in the industrial zone, higher than the levels corresponding to urban and residential. Taking into account the relationship between indoor and outdoor levels of VOCs, they have ratios (I/O)…
Keywords: Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), LCR, Health risk indoor
Assessment of ultrafine particles in primary schools: Emphasis on different indoor microenvironments
Slezakova
Overall, UFP concentrations showed large temporal and spatial variations. For classrooms (n = 73), median UFP (1.56 × 103–16.8 × 103 # cm−3) were lower than the corresponding levels in ambient air of schools (1.79 × 103–24.1 × 103 # cm−3). Outdoor…
Keywords: Ultrafine particles, Indoor air quality, Children, Microenvironments, Outdoor air, Inhalation dose