Study looks to determine why Milwaukee County has highest asthma rates in state
Researchers installed indoor air quality monitors in June in about 50 child care centers in Milwaukee County
Researchers installed indoor air quality monitors in June in about 50 child care centers in Milwaukee County
Researchers installed indoor air quality monitors in June in about 50 child care centers in Milwaukee County
A look of concentration as Reece Welch paints at St. Anthony Preschool in Milwaukee.
The three-year-old boy is focused on his artwork.
But, his mom, Alyssa Gardner, is focused on him.
"Consistent coughing when he was sick, he would get better for a little bit with medicine, and it would just come back," Gardner said.
An unrelenting cough led to a doctor's visit. The diagnosis? Asthma.
Asthma is a chronic lung condition that affects a person's breathing and can make it hard to get oxygen to their lungs, usually because their airways are swollen irritated and inflamed.
"We make sure it's controlled," Gardner said. "Having those inhalers on hand and trying to stay on top of it."
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reports asthma in Wisconsin is common.
One in 11 adults and 1 in 12 children is diagnosed.
Milwaukee County has the highest rates in the state.
Reece has a mild case of asthma. His mom says doctors diagnosed him earlier this year.
As long as he uses his inhaler in the morning and at night, Gardner said he has no issues.
However, she still has concerns.
"Just a concern being how do we fix it, how do we make it better, is it an actual problem, is it the environment for any kids, and how do we fix it if it is," Gardner said.
Now, a new study may provide those answers.
It's a three-year project with the Medical College of Wisconsin, the nonprofit Fight Asthma Milwaukee Allies and the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee College of Nursing.
Researchers installed indoor air quality monitors in June in about 50 child care centers in Milwaukee County.
Erin Lee, the clinical research coordinator at the Medical College of Wisconsin, says the focus is simple.
"Will air quality get better once those filtering machines are in the rooms?" Lee asked.
This project stems from a program in 2018. It was a study on air quality, but on a smaller scale.
"That project was really surveillance to see what we were dealing with," Lee said.
They found high levels of particles and chemicals in the air.
This could be from power plants, vehicles, or fires.
With that knowledge, this new study is taking it a step further by putting filtering machines in the childcare centers, including St. Anthony Preschool.
In Milwaukee, all of this matters.
"The percentages of kids with asthma in all schools can be as high as 20%," Lee said.
Lee said that's compared to about 9% statewide.
"We have high hospitalization, high emergency room visit rates," Lee said.
For parents like Gardner, the health of their child means everything now and later.
"His future," Gardner said. "I want to make sure he can do whatever he wants to do."
Early on in the project, researchers have already found disparities when it comes to asthma; the lower the household income, the higher the rates of asthma.
They also found racial and ethnic disparities.
Their goal is to study and analyze this data and, if needed, advocate for cleaner indoor air quality in childcare centers.
They say, right now, there's no indoor air quality standards or rules to follow.
NIH asthma guidelines recommend that persons with asthma seek at least two routine checkups per year.