RIPE (JEAI): Respiratory illnesses and air pollution exposure in school children

Children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of air pollution because their lungs and immune systems are still developing. Most epidemiological studies investigating the association of air pollution exposure (EPA) with respiratory health outcomes have been conducted in developed countries where exposure concentrations are typically very low or in schoolchildren who do not face the many competing risks encountered in low- and middle-income countries. The JEAI RIPE proposes to explore the relationship between EPA and respiratory diseases in Ghana with the establishment of a cohort of 300 school children who will be followed for three years at two sites, one urban (Accra) and the other rural (Aburi). The ultimate goal is to define specific alert (exposure) thresholds for this vulnerable group to help develop EPA mitigation strategies.