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 21 - 30 of 355 | Export entire research library
Analysis of indoor air pollution with radon in the kindergartens of two Bulgarian districts
Djounova, Jana
The measured radon concentrations in the children's rooms were between 10 and 1087 Bq per m. The evaluation of the results showed that in 10% of the kindergarten rooms, the radon concentration is above the national reference level of 300 Bq per…
Keywords: Radon
Impact of agricultural activity on PM2.5 and its compositions in elementary schools near corn and rice farms
Jung, Chien-Cheng
We found that the average ratio of PM2.5/PM10 (<10 ?m in particle size) was <0.6 in the school near the corn farm, and that the indoor PM2.5/PM10 ratio was significantly associated (r = 0.93, p < 0.05) with the outdoor ratio. Moreover, the…
Keywords: Aerosol, Crustal element, Heavy metal, Indoor/outdoor air quality, Source apportionment
Spatial heterogeneity in health risks of illness-related absenteeism associated with PM2.5 exposure for elementary students
Wu, Yangyang
With an interquartile range (IQR, 32 ?g/m3) increase in PM2.5 concentration, the relative risk of absence rate for a given school ranged between 1.00 and 2.81. Factors including high economic development level, low health expenditure, dense road…
Keywords: particulate matter, Spatial difference, Illness-related absenteeism, Elementary students
The impact of a mine fire and smoke event on academic outcomes for primary and secondary school students
Berger, Emily
The longitudinal analysis found that secondary students, who attended schools in the town most exposed to particulate matter from the mine fire, experienced an 18.5-month delay in academic progress (95% CI [13.6, 23.5]) after the mine fire, relative…
Keywords: academic outcomes, mine fire, posttraumatic stress, smoke, Students
Formation of cluster mode particles (1-3 nm) in preschools
Torkmahalleh, Mehdi Amouei
The average particle number concentration and mode diameter values during major CPF events in Preschool I and Preschool II were found to be 1.90 x 106 (SD 6.43 x 106) particles/cm3 and 1.60 (SD 0.85) nm, and 1.11 x 109 (SD 5.46 x 109) particles/cm3…
Keywords: Cluster mode particles, Preschool, Cleaning detergents, SOA, Ozone
Molecular Detection of Airborne Mycobacterium tuberculosis in South African High Schools
Bunyasi, Erick W.
ddPCR assays were positive in 13/72 (18.1%) classrooms and 4/39 (10.3%) clinic measurements (P?=?0.276). Median ambient CO2 concentration was 886 (IQR, 747-1223) ppm in classrooms versus 490 (IQR, 405-587) ppm in clinics (P?<?0.001). Average…
Keywords: air sampling, adolescent, School, ddPCR, tuberculosis
Bangkok school indoor air quality: monitoring and intervention by positive pressure fresh air system
Ongwandee, Maneerat
The indoor-to-outdoor concentration ratios indicated that either outdoor sources or indoor+outdoor sources were the predominant contributors to PM in naturally ventilated classrooms. Meanwhile, PM levels in air-conditioned classrooms strongly…
Keywords: School indoor air quality, Positive pressure fresh air system, PM2.5, Indoor environmental quality, Ventilation
Effects of school indoor visual environment on children's health outcomes: A systematic review
Meng, Xue
A systematic search yielded 5704 articles, of which 32 studies were reviewed. Five environmental themes were identified: lighting, access to nature, window characteristics, art/environmental aesthetics, and ergonomics/spatial arrangement. Results…
Keywords: Indoor environment, Visual environment, Health outcomes, Schools, Children
Analysis of the Scabies Incidence at As'ad Islamic Boarding School, Jambi City
Fauziah
The required data were collected by questionnaires and analyzed by Chi-square test and logistic regression. Most of the students had crowded living conditions (94.4%), low room humidity (80.8%), poor personal hygiene (66.3%), a low level of…
Keywords: Humidity, Knowledge, Occupational exposure, Scabies, Students
Evaluation of Children's Thermal Environment in Nursery School: Through the Questionnaire and Measurement of Wearable Sensors Approach
Yuan, Xin
The traditional measurement results showed that 73% of classroom indoor temperatures and humidity do not meet the thermal comfort standard stipulated by the government. The method proposed in this paper indicates that: (1) nursery teachers'…
Keywords: Children, indoor thermal environment, wearable sensor, adaptive comfort behavior