Asthma Triggers
The percentage of study group homes with
visible evidence of mold, and of those with
water damage, condensation, leaks, or drips,
significantly decreased from baseline to exit
(Table 4; P < .001 and P = .01, respectively).
The percentage of study group homes with
visible evidence of rodents marginally decreased
(P = .087). Although the decline in the
percentage of homes with indoor smoking was
not significant (P = .128), a low percentage of
caregivers reported indoor smoking at baseline
(6.9%), and by the end of the study, no
caregivers reported indoor smoking. Although
visible signs of cockroach exposure appeared
to increase from baseline to exit (14.3% to
25.3%), this increase was not significant
(P = .17).
Study group improvements in mold and
water damage issues significantly exceeded
those of the comparison group (P = .078
[marginally significant] and 0.029, respectively).
The decline in overall exposure of study
group children to asthma triggers (baseline
and exit trigger scores = 1.8 and 0.8, respectively)
was marginally significantly greater
than that of comparison group children (baseline
and exit trigger scores = 1.2 and 0.7,
respectively; P = .089).