Effect of Air Pollution on the Cognitive Function of Adolescents

NCT ID: NCT03762239

Last Updated: 2025-06-12

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 2123 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2018-11-23
• Study Completion Date: 2019-06-11

Brief Summary

Previous observational studies have reported an association between higher air pollution exposure and lower attention in children. With this project, the investigators aim to confirm this association in adolescents using an experimental design. In addition, the study will assess the relationship between air pollution exposure and individual preferences with respect to risk, time and social considerations. High school students in 3rd grade (ESO, 14-15 years of age) in different high schools in the Barcelona province (Spain) will be invited to participate. For each class in each high school, participating students will be randomly split into two equal-sized groups. Each group will be assigned to a different classroom where they will complete several activities during two hours, including an attention test (Flanker task) and a reduced version of the Global Preferences Survey. One of the classrooms will have an air purifier that will clean the air. The other classroom will have the same device but without the filters, so it will only re-circulate the air without cleaning it. Students will be masked to intervention allocation. The investigators hypothesize that students assigned to the clean air classroom will have better scores in the attention test, and that decision-making will also present differences in the two classrooms.

Conditions

Attention Impaired; Risk-Taking; Risk Behavior; Social Preferences; Decision Making; Attention

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: PREVENTION
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

Purified air

Purifying the air with a Pure Airbox device (Zonair 3D). Use of air purifier (Pure Airbox, Zonair 3D) in the classroom 30 minutes before the participants enter the room and during the 2 hours of the experiment.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Purifying the air with a Pure Airbox device (Zonair 3D)

Intervention Type: OTHER

Purifying the air of the classroom where the experiment is conducted using a Pure Airbox device (Zonair 3D)

Normal air

Using a sham air purifier (same device without filters). Use of the same air purifier but without filters, so that it only recirculates the air without purifying it. Used for the same time period than the other arm.

Group Type: SHAM_COMPARATOR

Using a sham air purifier (same device without filters)

Intervention Type: OTHER

Use the air purifier (Pure Airbox, Zonair 3D) without filters in the classroom where the experiment is conducted

Interventions

Purifying the air with a Pure Airbox device (Zonair 3D)

Purifying the air of the classroom where the experiment is conducted using a Pure Airbox device (Zonair 3D)

Intervention Type: OTHER

Using a sham air purifier (same device without filters)

Use the air purifier (Pure Airbox, Zonair 3D) without filters in the classroom where the experiment is conducted

Intervention Type: OTHER

Other Intervention Names

Air filtering; Air cleaning; Sham air cleaner

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Students in the 3rd ESO course in participating high schools with signed informed consent

Exclusion Criteria

• None

• Minimum Eligible Age: 13 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 16 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Recercaixa

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Centre de Recerca per a l'Educació Científica i Matemàtica (CRECIM)

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC)

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Economics and Bussiness Department, Universtitat Pompeu Fabra

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Barcelona Institute for Global Health

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Xavier Basagaña, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Barcelona Institute for Global Health

Locations

ISGlobal

Barcelona, , Spain

Countries

Spain

Provided Documents

Document Type: Study Protocol

View Document

Document Type: Statistical Analysis Plan

View Document

Other Identifiers

PI2030

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id