1. Urban Adolescents Readily Comply with a Complicated Asthma Research Protocol
- Author
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Lovinsky-Desir, Stephanie, Folch, Candace, Jung, Kyung Hwa, Torrone, David Z., Gil, Eric, Perera, Frederica P., Miller, Rachel L., and Chillrud, Steven N.
- Subjects
Asthma in children ,Public health ,13. Climate action ,Patient compliance ,Teenagers--Research ,Accelerometers ,Medical sciences ,3. Good health - Abstract
Purpose: Adolescents are often cited as having poor rates of compliance with medical regimens and research protocols. We quantified compliance in a cohort of urban adolescents participating in a complex research protocol in which measures were obtained without direct supervision by research personnel. Methods: A total of 54 early adolescents ages 10–13 were asked to wear a vest containing a personal air pollutant exposure monitor for two 24-hour periods and to perform daily peak expiratory flow (PEF) for six consecutive days. Compliance with wearing the vest was measured by comparing accelerometer data from a device within the vest to one worn continuously on the child's wrist. Daily PEF data were recorded using an electronic meter. Results: A priori definition of compliance was met by 85% of the adolescents by wearing the exposure monitoring vest and 72% by performing PEF. Conclusions: These findings suggest that early adolescents can be compliant with complex research protocols that are needed to help bridge gaps in pediatric asthma research.