Promoting Risk Reduction Among Young Adults With Asthma During Wildfire Smoke Events (TRAK)

Exposure to unprecedented levels of wildfire smoke is increasing cardiopulmonary mortality and is especially catastrophic in people with asthma. Little evidence exists on the effectiveness of air quality (AQ) alerts on objective measures of risk reduction behavior and health outcomes. Evidence shows that young adults are less likely to adhere to AQ alerts than older adults, yet young adulthood is a time when habits are formed in chronic illness management. The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Smoke Sense smart phone application (app) is an innovative risk reduction intervention based on the health belief model and theory of planned behavior. The app invites users to record their smoke observations and health symptoms, play educational trivia games, earn badges, and explore what other users are reporting. Smoke Sense connects AQ exposure data with users' symptoms, thus framing risk reduction messages as personally relevant. Although Smoke Sense has almost 25,000 users, its impact on health outcomes has not been tested. Preliminary data suggests that users' engagement in health protective behaviors was driven in response to symptoms rather than as preventive courses of action. In a high-risk asthma population, prevention is paramount. Smoke Sense Plus is an intervention that builds on the Smoke Sense app, with value-added activities, such as notifying participants to review their asthma action plan, monitoring lung function weekly via mobile spirometry and subscribing to a social network to share strategies to minimize exposure. The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility of the Smoke Sense interventions among young adults with asthma and pilot test the interventions compared to a control group. Sixty young adults aged 18-26 with asthma will be recruited through local universities. They will be randomized to 1 of 3 groups for a 2-month study period during wildfire season. Study aims are to: 1. Establish the feasibility (recruitment, enrollment, retention rates), acceptability (intervention engagement, fidelity, usability, attitude) and barriers and facilitators of adopting the technology of the Smoke Sense interventions and use of portable devices in young adults with asthma;51 2. Explore the preliminary impact of the Smoke Sense interventions on lung function,20 and asthma control, These primary outcomes will be assessed using objective measures (spirometry) and validated, self-report tools. Secondary outcomes will be anxiety,23 exposure reduction behaviors (e.g. stayed indoors, wore a mask),24 and symptom mitigating behaviors (use of medication, unscheduled health care appointments), measured via self-report and a Global Positioning System device. Outcome by group will be summarized. Preliminary evidence of treatment effect and its variance will be examined for a future clinical trial; 3. Explore potential mediators (medication adherence, self-management skills, stress) and moderators (asthma severity/control) of the interventions to asthma outcomes. The long-term goal is to minimize asthma exacerbations from exposure to wildfire smoke. The long-term goal of the study is to minimize asthma exacerbations from exposure to wildfire smoke.