Educational Campaign for VOC Exposure

Overseen By Sa Liu, MPH, PhD

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Purdue University

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 1

510 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial aims to understand how exposure to specific chemicals, PCE and TCE, affects health in Martinsville, Indiana. These chemicals have contaminated local groundwater and indoor air. An environmental educational campaign informs residents about the risks and encourages participation in environmental testing. Participants must be residents of Martinsville, Indiana, aged 18 years or older. As an unphased trial, this study allows residents to contribute to important environmental health research and community safety.

Do I need to stop taking my current medications to join the trial?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What prior data suggests that this educational campaign is safe for the community?

A previous study found that participants in an educational campaign about volatile organic compounds (VOCs) significantly increased their knowledge. Community leaders improved by 47%, and residents by 24%. This demonstrates the program's success in raising awareness and understanding of VOC exposure.

Regarding safety, the educational campaign focuses on sharing information, not introducing a new drug or treatment. Therefore, participants face no risk of physical side effects or negative reactions. The goal is to educate people in Martinsville, Indiana, about groundwater contamination and its potential health effects. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the educational campaign for VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) exposure because it empowers residents with knowledge to take proactive steps in environmental health. Unlike traditional approaches that might focus solely on medical interventions after exposure, this campaign emphasizes prevention by encouraging community participation in environmental testing. This proactive educational strategy aims to raise awareness and engage the public in reducing exposure risks, potentially leading to healthier communities and environments.

What evidence suggests that this educational campaign is effective for VOC exposure?

Research has shown that educational campaigns about the environment can help people learn about harmful chemicals called volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as PCE and TCE. In past studies, participants gained significant knowledge, with community leaders improving by 47% and residents by 24%. This trial will focus on Martinsville residents, who will receive an educational campaign promoting participation in environmental testing. Understanding the dangers of VOCs enables people to take action to protect themselves and their community. These educational efforts have also successfully encouraged positive environmental changes and behaviors. Overall, these findings demonstrate the importance of educational campaigns in addressing environmental health issues. ^{1 2 5 6 7}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Sa Liu, MPH, PhD

Principal Investigator

Purdue University

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for residents of Martinsville, Indiana, aged between 18 and 64 years old. It's focused on understanding the health effects of low-level exposure to certain chemicals in their environment.

Inclusion Criteria

Residents of Martinsville, Indiana

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Exposure Assessment

Determine the extent and exposure levels to the contaminants by measuring the contamination in residents and at their homes

12 months

Multiple visits for environmental testing

Community Engagement and Education

Assess community concerns and perceptions, and co-design a targeted educational campaign to reduce exposure

24 months

Community meetings and educational sessions

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in concerns, awareness, and willingness to test homes over time

36 months

Surveys at Year 1, Year 3, and Year 5

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Environmental educational campaign

Trial Overview The intervention being studied is an environmental educational campaign aimed at addressing the impact of tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE) exposure from contaminated groundwater and indoor air.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Martinsville Residents Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Residents of Martinsville, Indiana, will receive educational campaign promoting participation in environmental testing

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Purdue University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

239

Recruited

72,200+

Indiana University School of Medicine

Collaborator

Trials

194

Recruited

181,000+

University of Illinois at Chicago

Collaborator

Trials

653

Recruited

1,574,000+

Mackey Children's Cancer Foundation

Collaborator

Trials

1

Recruited

510+

Published Research Related to This Trial

A community-based educational program, the Community Environmental Toxicology Curriculum (CETC), was developed to improve communication and trust between residents and city officials regarding lead contamination in soil from past waste incineration in Jacksonville, Florida.

Participants in the CETC showed significant knowledge gains, averaging 47% for community leaders and 24% for residents, indicating the program's effectiveness in raising awareness about environmental risks and remediation processes.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Community-Based Participatory Research at Jacksonville Florida Superfund Ash Site: Toxicology Training to Improve the Knowledge of the Lay Community. Becker, A., Suther, S., Harris, C., et al.[2022]

A study measuring volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in children from two inner-city schools in Minneapolis found that personal exposure (P) to VOCs was generally higher than indoor school (S) and outdoor (O) levels, with home (H) environments contributing the most to personal exposure.

Notably, while most VOC levels were similar to or lower than those found in other studies, p-dichlorobenzene levels were exceptionally high, exceeding health benchmarks and indicating potential long-term health risks for children.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Outdoor, indoor, and personal exposure to VOCs in children. Adgate, JL., Church, TR., Ryan, AD., et al.[2021]

Patient education significantly improves compliance with therapeutic regimens in chronic disease management, with an average improvement of 0.67 sigma over control groups, indicating a strong effect.

While patient education also leads to improvements in physiological progress (0.49 sigma) and health outcomes (0.02 sigma), the most effective strategies involve behaviorally-oriented programs that focus on changing the patient's environment rather than just increasing knowledge.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Does patient education in chronic disease have therapeutic value? Mazzuca, SA.[2019]

The Environmental Health/Home Safety Education Project has effectively increased knowledge and changed behaviors related to fire and food safety among participants living on the U.S.-Mexico border, demonstrating its impact from 2002 to 2005.

Utilizing trained community members (promotoras) for home assessments has led to significant improvements in home safety, making the project sustainable and appealing for future funding.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The Environmental Health/Home Safety Education Project: a successful and practical U.S.-Mexico border initiative. Forster-Cox, SC., Mangadu, T., Jacquez, B., et al.[2019]

A patient education program developed for cancer patients undergoing external beam radiation therapy significantly improved knowledge about their treatment, achieving posttest scores well above the target of 75% correct answers.

The study involved 72 patients with lung, breast, or prostate cancer, and demonstrated that patients who received the education programs showed true learning effects, particularly in understanding treatment side effects and management strategies.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Increasing patients' knowledge of radiation therapy. Mood, DW., Cook, CA., Chadwell, DK.[2019]

Internet-based education significantly improved patients' knowledge levels more than face-to-face education with a nurse in a study involving 147 ambulatory orthopedic surgery patients.

Both education methods were effective in enhancing knowledge, but there was no difference in the sufficiency of knowledge between the two groups, indicating that online education is a viable alternative in ambulatory care.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Ambulatory orthopaedic surgery patients' knowledge with internet-based education. Heikkinen, K., Leino-Kilpi, H., Salanterä, S.[2017]

Current COPD patient education programs have shown limited success, indicating a need for more effective designs that go beyond just providing medical information.

Future programs should focus on improving patients' self-efficacy in disease management and include a broader range of health behavior determinants to enhance their effectiveness.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Patient education programs--can they improve outcomes in COPD? Harris, M., Smith, BJ., Veale, A.[2021]

Personal exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was found to be significantly higher than both indoor and outdoor concentrations, highlighting the importance of individual monitoring for accurate risk assessment.

The U.S. EPA's ASPEN model underestimated personal exposure risks, particularly for VOCs with indoor sources, leading to a three-fold greater estimated lifetime cancer risk based on actual personal exposures compared to model estimates.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Personal exposure meets risk assessment: a comparison of measured and modeled exposures and risks in an urban community. Payne-Sturges, DC., Burke, TA., Breysse, P., et al.[2018]

Effective patient education is crucial for enhancing patient satisfaction and improving clinical outcomes, as it has been shown to reduce hospital stays.

The Patient Family Educational Advisory Committee (PFEAC) emphasizes the need for coordinated health education across all care disciplines, focusing on common issues related to culture, documentation, and competency.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Putting the pieces in place: the patient education puzzle. Gaynor, S., Patyk, M.[2019]

In a study involving 206 blood samples from residents near an industrial complex and a control area, only acetone levels were significantly higher in the target area, suggesting limited exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the industrial site.

The study concluded that there was no overall association between living near the industrial complex and elevated blood VOC levels, indicating that blood VOC testing should be reserved for areas with confirmed recent exposure or unusual health concerns.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Volatile organic compound testing of a population living near a hazardous waste site. Hamar, GB., McGeehin, MA., Phifer, BL., et al.[2013]

Citations

1. withpower.com withpower.com/trial/phase-respiratory-aspiration-1-2023-5d958

Educational Campaign for VOC Exposure Participants in the CETC showed significant knowledge gains, averaging 47% for community leaders and 24% for residents, indicating the program's effectiveness ...

2. cdph.ca.gov cdph.ca.gov/Programs/cls/dehl/ehl/Pages/IAQ/_archived_VOC.aspx

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) - CDPH - CA.gov This document superseded the previous version of "CDPH Standard Method for the Testing and Evaluation of VOC Emissions from Indoor Sources Using Environmental ...

3. journals.sagepub.com journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/21582440251346558?int.sj-abstract.similar-articles.8

The Effectiveness of the Parent–Child VOC-Focused ... Environmental education for children is a critical strategy that addresses current environmental threats by encouraging individuals to make positive changes ...

4. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27659059/

VOC exposures in California early childhood education ... Little information exists about exposures to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in early childhood education (ECE) environments. We measured 38 VOCs in ...

5. researchgate.net researchgate.net/publication/394109139_The_Effectiveness_of_the_Parent-Child_VOC-Focused_Environmental_Education_Program

(PDF) The Effectiveness of the Parent–Child VOC-Focused ... The results indicated that the VOC-focused environmental education program significantly contributed to the increase of both VOC-related knowledge and pro- ...

6. cdph.ca.gov cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CCDPHP/DEODC/EHLB/IAQ/pages/voc.aspx

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) - CDPH - CA.gov The California Department of Public Health is dedicated to optimizing the health and well-being of Californians.

7. centerforgreenschools.org centerforgreenschools.org/node/73319

Additional resources Europe Exposure Study Students Staff Elementary (K-5) Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) Other Cleaning products Indoor air quality Volatile ...