My house, my rules: Co-designing residential air pollution research

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This scoping study will engage with members of the community to collaboratively define research questions and a feasible methodology for conducting residential air quality research.Many people have health problems associated with air pollution. Every year tens of thousands of lives are cut short due to exposure to air pollution and it is considered to be the largest environmental risk to public health in the UK. We usually think of air pollution as being outdoors, but that pollution enters buildings and combines with additional pollution from indoor sources. As we spend a substantial proportion of our time indoors at home, work or school, it is important that we improve our understanding of indoor air pollution. This will allow us to identify the correct remedial measures to help reduce the risk of health effects arising from exposure in our homes. However, measuring indoor air pollution can be difficult, especially because it involves the gathering of data within people's homes - researchers are dependent on residents' willingness to allow measurements to be taken within their homes, which can be inconvenient and potentially intrusive.This study will engage with members of an urban community within an area of relatively high ambient pollution to collaboratively decide what they want and need to know about air pollution in their own homes, as well as what they think is the best way for gathering the necessary measurements. During this study participants will have the opportunity to learn about air pollution sources and effects and gather their own personal exposure data. The data gathered will then be presented at a workshop, where it will be used to highlight typical air pollution levels residents are exposed to while they go about their normal day, and where it comes from. During the workshop residents will work collaboratively with researchers to define research questions and a feasible and acceptible methodology for conducting residential air quality research in their community. By following a citizen science approach, the proposed scoping study will actively involve the community in the co-designing of a research study, creating a sense of collective ownership for the citizens involved in the process, and ensuring that the outcomes meet both the researchers' aims and local residents' needs and expectations. This scoping study will provide us with evidence of how to conduct residential air quality research in collaboration with those who are directly affected by the harmful effects of air pollution. It is expected that participation will raise participants' awareness of indoor pollution and will inspire them to take part in the gathering of the residential pollution measurement campaigns and air quality improvement trials in future studies.