Building on the Eastern Africa Children’s Health (EACH) studies carried out in Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya in Cycle I, research teams will recruit mothers of EACH study participants to join a new Mothers’ Health Study as part of Cycle II EACH study follow-up. The primary objective of the Mothers’ Health Study is to assess the cross-sectional relationship between personal air pollution exposure and respiratory health of 300 mothers in each of the three study sites. Research teams will assess respiratory health using both validated respiratory questionnaires and spirometry. Personal exposure assessments will be conducted using wearable PM2.5 and carbon monoxide (CO) monitors, and GPS data loggers for two 48-hour sessions as part of the Personal Air Pollution Exposure Assessment Study. Exposure data will be linked to lung function data as well as be used to estimate exposures for those individuals with a high degree of confidence and develop predictive models that can be applied across the study cohorts.
The Mothers’ Health Study will be initiated in a phased approach in conjunction with the EACH Study in each study site by Hub researchers from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia; Makerere University, Uganda; and University of Nairobi, Kenya for a period of one year between 2023-2026 using common protocols and study designs.