Characterize and Intervene the Indoor Air Quality in Early Childhood Education Settings to Reduce the School Absenteeism Caused by Infectious Diseases

This study aims to improve indoor environmental quality in Early Childhood Education (ECE) centers to reduce school absenteeism caused by infectious diseases. Our study recruited five ECE centers with 20 classrooms in Oklahoma. We use low-cost monitors to measure indoor air quality, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) techniques to quantify viruses from airborne and surface swab samples. We designed a 2x2 cluster-randomized controlled factorial trial to evaluate the efficacy of two engineering control interventions including portable air purifiers and upper room ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) devices. Furthermore, we develop a vulnerability index considering the indoor and outdoor environmental quality, socioeconomic and demographic factors. We expect that the interventions can improve the indoor environmental quality, and reduce the school absenteeism caused by infectious diseases. This study will provide a crucial and innovative methodology for assessing interventions and directing resources efficiently to enhance the children’s health and well-being in ECE centers.