UMass Lowell Faculty Member’s Work Advances Public Health, Environmental Sustainability
Image by Emily Ray
12/12/2018
Contact: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu and Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
LOWELL, Mass. – Just like energy audits provide professional assessments on how to save on fuel and electric costs, asthma audits can offer ways families can improve their health in their homes.
UMass Lowell Prof. David Turcotte is an expert at them. Through the Healthy Homes Project, Turcotte goes into homes with a health worker from the Lowell Community Health Center and conducts thorough evaluations for asthma triggers, including pet dander, excess dust, mold, dust mites and pests such as mice and cockroaches.
For almost two decades, the program has improved the lives of hundreds of low-income children and seniors with asthma.
Now, a new $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will allow Turcotte and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to bring asthma education and intervention services to low-income adult patients age 50 and older.
“Our research has shown our comprehensive approach to asthma education and intervention leads to significant improvements in children’s health, including fewer symptoms and reduced doctor and ER visits and hospital stays for severe asthma attacks,” said Turcotte, a research professor in UMass Lowell’s Economics Department.
Asthma rates are growing, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. The disease now affects one in 12 children nationally and is the leading cause of missed school days. Asthma also costs the U.S. economy about $81.9 billion in medical costs, mortality and missed work and school days each year, according to the foundation. While there is no cure, asthma symptoms can be managed medically and, as Turcotte’s research demonstrates, environmentally.
During home visits, Turcotte and the team teach residents about environmentally friendly cleaning methods and the hazards of tobacco smoke, aerosol sprays, plug-in “air fresheners,” incense and scented candles. The outreach includes educating housing managers and even pest control companies about integrated pest management, which minimizes the use of toxic chemicals that can contribute to asthma.
A portion of the Healthy Homes Project funding goes to providing participants with vacuum cleaners with HEPA filters, mattress and pillow protectors and less toxic cleaning products.
Two years ago, the project won a DPH grant to bring asthma education and interventions to low-income, elderly patients of Lowell Community Health Center. That phase of the project was for seniors age 62 and older; the new funding will assist low-income adult patients age 50 and older.
“There are a lot of people in their 50s with asthma now and they shouldn’t have to wait until they turn 62 to get assistance. From a research point of view, we can also compare whether earlier intervention for middle-aged adults leads to better health outcomes than education and remediation for seniors,” Turcotte said.
For more information about the Healthy Homes Project, contact David_Turcotte@uml.edu.
UMass Lowell is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its more than 18,000 students bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be leaders in their communities and around the globe. www.uml.edu