Air pollution is a global health challenge that causes an estimated 28,000-36,000 premature deaths in the UK every year (UK Government 2022). To date, most of the research and regulatory focus around air pollution has been on outdoor environments.
However, there is growing understanding of the potential health harms caused by indoor air pollution, compounded by people spending the majority of their time indoors. This, combined with technological advances, has led to a proliferation of indoor air quality sensors, such as those manufactured by the Glasgow-based company Nooku. The company aims to not only use their sensors to measure indoor air quality, but also provide behavioural advice that users can act on, thereby reducing their exposure to indoor air pollution.
We have previously shown that air quality data has the potential be used to support behavioural changes in theory from a health psychology perspective (McCarron et al., 2022). We have also shown this approach to be effective in practice in a pilot with asthma patients (McCarron et al., 2024).
The aim of this PhD is to develop this research, to determine how people can be better supported using personalised air quality data to make behavioural changes that reduce their exposure to indoor air pollution and thereby contribute to better health outcomes.
In particular, this PhD will focus on working with at-risk groups, including children, older people, and those with pre-existing conditions (e.g., asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)).
The specific research that the PhD student undertakes will be determined based upon the interests of the student and the supervisors, however, will likely include synthesizing the evidence of which behaviour changes are most likely to lead to improvements in indoor air quality, development and testing of a personalised advice system to support behaviour changes, optimizing methods of communication of air quality data and behaviour change advice, and exploring the sustainability of the enacted behaviour changes.
Together, the findings from the PhD will develop the evidence base on how best to support people to make behaviour changes that improve indoor air quality and people’s air quality-related health.
