LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky (UK) researchers are studying how home air quality affects blood pressure and obesity on children in rural, and farming communities.

“Our goal with this research is to address a significant public health issue by understanding and identifying environmental exposures in a vulnerable, high-risk group of rural children to develop new treatments to improve their health,” said Maggie Murphy, Ph.D., UK College of Medicine Department of Pediatrics assistant professor, and the study’s principal investigator, in a recent statement.

She said extra weight can put children at an earlier risk for developing health issues more commonly seen in adults: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.

She told Farm World, “Rural communities in our study would include some farming communities. We are recruiting patients in both urban and rural areas. We are defining rural as counties here in Kentucky outside of a major city.

“We recruit patients across the central and eastern part of our state, with the majority of counties in Appalachia being more rural,” she added.

She said the focus of this study is on rural children versus children in the city because people are more likely to use wood-burning stoves in rural areas.

“We are studying indoor air pollution in our patients that reside both in cities and rural areas, but previous research suggests that the air quality will be different among city versus rural communities; our work is exploring this further,” she said.

The study said rural household air pollution can come from burning wood, coal or charcoal on open fires, or the use of gas stoves, or in poorly-ventilated homes.

Other sources include secondhand smoke exposure, pet dander, mold and outdoor air pollution from roadways, or living near coal mines, with researchers tracking whether those pollutants affect blood pressure levels.

She said she also works daily with children who experience health disparities, including environmental exposures, and poverty that place them at heightened risk for early cardiovascular disease.

“This type of award (for the study) allows me to combine my two passions: providing quality patient care and fostering research projects within the setting of pediatric obesity to develop new treatment strategies, with the ultimate goal of improving our nation’s health,” she said.

Wayne Sanderson, Ph.D., a UK professor in the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, told Farm World this study is initiated in the UK Healthcare Clinics where children are treated, adding the parents of children will be asked if they wish to participate in the study.

“After completing human subjects’ enrollment, they will collect medical and questionnaire data on the children in the clinic,” he said. “If they also agree to an in-home visit, then my team will be conducting air sampling in and around the homes of the children.”