My house, my rules: Co-designing residential air pollution research

This scoping study will engage with members of the community to collaboratively define research questions and a feasible methodology for conducting residential air quality research.

Many people have health problems associated with air pollution. Every year tens of thousands of lives are cut short due to exposure to air pollution and it is considered to be the largest environmental risk to public health in the UK.
We usually think of air pollution as being outdoors, but that pollution enters buildings and combines with additional pollution from indoor sources. As we spend a substantial proportion of our time indoors at home, work or school, it is important that we improve our understanding of indoor air pollution. This will allow us to identify the correct remedial measures to help reduce the risk of health effects arising from exposure in our homes. However, measuring indoor air pollution can be difficult, especially because it involves the gathering of data within people's homes - researchers are dependent on residents' willingness to allow measurements to be taken within their homes, which can be inconvenient and potentially intrusive.

This study will engage with members of an urban community within an area of relatively high ambient pollution to collaboratively decide what they want and need to know about air pollution in their own homes, as well as what they think is the best way for gathering the necessary measurements. During this study participants will have the opportunity to learn about air pollution sources and effects and gather their own personal exposure data. The data gathered will then be presented at a workshop, where it will be used to highlight typical air pollution levels residents are exposed to while they go about their normal day, and where it comes from. During the workshop residents will work collaboratively with researchers to define research questions and a feasible and acceptible methodology for conducting residential air quality research in their community. By following a citizen science approach, the proposed scoping study will actively involve the community in the co-designing of a research study, creating a sense of collective ownership for the citizens involved in the process, and ensuring that the outcomes meet both the researchers' aims and local residents' needs and expectations.

This scoping study will provide us with evidence of how to conduct residential air quality research in collaboration with those who are directly affected by the harmful effects of air pollution. It is expected that participation will raise participants' awareness of indoor pollution and will inspire them to take part in the gathering of the residential pollution measurement campaigns and air quality improvement trials in future studies.

It has been reported that the combined effect of outdoor and indoor air pollution causes about 7 million premature deaths every year. Furthermore, air pollution has been associated with a wide variety of chronic and acute health problems. While there is the implict expectation that buildings can protect us from outdoor air pollution, harmful air pollutants are also be present indoors. Even though we spend most of our time inside buildings, the overwhelming majority of research on this topic is based on measurements and models of ambient (outdoor) air pollution. In part, this is due to the challenges associated with conducting research in settings that require active public participation, acceptance and inconvenience, such as homes, schools and community buildings.

This scoping study will engage with members of an urban community to collaboratively define research questions and a feasible methodology for conducting residential air quality research in collaboration with those who are directly affected by the harmful effects of air pollution. During this study participants will have the opportunity to learn about air pollution sources and effects and gather their own personal exposure data. The measurements gathered by the participants will be presented at a workshop, where it will be used to highlight the typical air pollution levels residents are exposed to while they go about their normal days. During the workshop residents will work collaboratively with researchers to define research questions and a feasible methodology for conducting residential air quality research. By co-designing this methodology with the community from the outset, we aim to establish foundations for future indoor air quality research that optimise recruitment rates, produce high quality representative measurement datasets and maximise impact, ultimately leading to improved public health.

Exposure to air pollution is a public health concern accountable for wide ranging health problems and tens of thousands of premature deaths each year in the UK. It is expected that participation in this project will aid residents' understanding of the problem and in turn relate to it and act upon this knowledge, reducing their own exposure to harmful pollutants and associated health risks.

This study will deliver several activities to enhance residents' knowledge on outdoor and indoor air pollution. The participants will be encouraged to make further use of this knowledge and evidence and disseminate it across their wider community using their own methods and networks. Furthermore, participation in the project will give participants the opportunity to collaborate with air quality scientists, building meaningful integration between the university and its local community.

Most importantly, this scoping study will provide a firm foundation for significant future research into indoor exposure to air pollution, its sources, behaviour and mitigation, ultimately leading to an improvement in public health. The communities involved in this study will continue to be an integral part of this wider research, contributing to its development, dissemination and impact.