HUD AWARDS COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY $650,000 TO HELP COMBAT ASTHMA IN CHILDREN
Second HUD Award to New York City to Combat Asthma

NEW YORK - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today awarded Columbia University $650,000 for research to conduct studies on the prevalence of asthma in children in their home and neighborhood. The funding will support efforts to control asthma and allergy triggers such as mold, moisture, mitigate safety hazards in homes, and improve energy efficiency.

The grant funding announced today is part of $18 million HUD is awarding nationwide to clean up health hazards in thousands of homes, train workers, and increase public awareness about reducing and preventing health hazards in their homes.

"HUD is committed to providing healthy and safe homes as part of our mission to help make communities across America, such as in New York City and its neighborhoods, healthier and more sustainable," said HUD Regional Administrator Adolfo Carrión.

Columbia University will use the funding to follow a group of asthmatic children in higher and lower asthma prevalence neighborhoods in New York City for three years, from ages about 7-8 to ages 10-11 as part of the New York City Neighborhood Asthma and Allergy Study (NYC NAAS). The research will assess changes in lung function and an airway inflammation biomarker and will test the following hypotheses: children living in high asthma prevalence neighborhoods will have more asthma symptoms and less lung function growth; household black carbon (a surrogate for combustion by-products) and household allergen exposure will be associated with less lung function growth and greater airway inflammation; and density of truck routes and buildings burning residual oil will be associated with less lung function growth.

"This study should advance our understanding of the environmental exposures in neighborhoods that cause the great disparities in asthma morbidity see between communities in NYC," said Matthew Perzanowski, PhD, associate professor of Environmental Health Sciences and lead scientist on the project.

To counter the growing trend of asthma in low-income children, last May Carrión announced that The New York Academy of Medicine, in partnership with Little Sisters of the Assumption (LSA) Family Health Service, would receive $549,000 to improve indoor environmental conditions and promote education and medical services for asthmatic children and other residents of East Harlem living in public and assisted multifamily housing. This was the first time HUD ever awarded a grant to combat indoor conditions that exacerbate asthma.

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HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes: utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUD does business. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov. You can also follow HUD on Twitter at @HUDnews or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HUD, or sign up for news alerts on HUD's News Listserv.