Technological and Behavioral Strategies to Mitigate the Effects of Air Pollution on Children in Delhi's Schools

Last registered on January 31, 2025

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Technological and Behavioral Strategies to Mitigate the Effects of Air Pollution on Children in Delhi's Schools
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0014045
Initial registration date
July 17, 2024

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
July 23, 2024, 12:29 PM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Last updated
January 31, 2025, 1:22 PM EST

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

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Primary Investigator

Affiliation
London School of Economics

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Affiliation
Queen’s University Belfast, United Kingdom

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2024-10-07
End date
2025-05-23
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Air pollution is a serious problem in many regions of the developing world as it adversely affects the health, education and human capital of the population, especially children. Mitigating strategies can potentially alleviate some of the most severe effects of high air pollution. By conducting an RCT in Delhi's KV schools, this study assesses the potential role of technological and behavioral strategies in mitigating the adverse effects of high air pollution exposure on the health and educational outcomes of students. In particular, we evaluate the effectiveness of air purifiers in classrooms and an educational campaign during the period of peak air pollution. This work is important for building human capital in low- and middle-income countries faced with high pollution levels, which is essential for their human and economic development.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Ruiz-Tagle, J. Cristobal and Nikita Sangwan Nikita Sangwan. 2025. "Technological and Behavioral Strategies to Mitigate the Effects of Air Pollution on Children in Delhi's Schools." AEA RCT Registry. January 31. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.14045-1.1
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
We assess the effect of HEPA air purifiers on indoor particle air pollution in classrooms of KV Schools in Delhi.

Moreover, we assess understanding and learning of (i) the effects of air pollution on health, (ii) identification of periods of high air pollution (specifically, high Air Quality Index), and (iii) personal strategies to mitigate exposure to high air pollution.

In a nutshell, we examine whether these technological and behavioral mitigation strategies result in improved health and educational outcomes.
Intervention Start Date
2024-10-14
Intervention End Date
2025-03-28

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Indoor PM air pollution; Learning and adoption of behavioral strategies to mitigate air pollution exposure. Lung capacity (spirometry) and Self-reported respiratory health; Student's school attendance, standardized cognitive tests, and school grades.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We first examine the effect of air purifiers on indoor particle air pollution. We will deploy indoor pollution monitors that will log real-time readings of fine and coarse particulate matter pollution (PM2.5 and PM10). These monitors will be deployed in both classrooms with HEPA purifiers and control classrooms.

Moreover, by means of a survey questionnaire, we assess students’ understanding and learning of key components of the educational and behavioral intervention. Specifically, we assess understanding and learning of (i) the effects of air pollution on health, (ii) identification of periods of high air pollution (specifically, high Air Quality Index), and (iii) personal strategies to mitigate exposure to high air pollution.

Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization will be conducted by the research team in a clear and transparent way (observable by school principals).
Randomization Unit
We will conduct a cluster-randomized controlled trial where we will randomly assign clusters of students sharing the same classroom (a.k.a. a class) into one of three groups: those assigned to treatment Purifiers, those assigned to treatment Educational & Behavioral Strategies (EBS) and a Control group. That is, we will randomly assign all students in the same class to only one of these treatment arms, without overlap.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
180 classrooms across 10 schools
Sample size: planned number of observations
9,000 students
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
49 classroom for each treatment and control groups. Plus classrooms in 'control-only' schools
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Class-level outcomes Indoor PM2.5 pollution (μg/m3). MDE = 84.72; Estimated Effect = 101.2. Absenteeism rate (%). MDE = 0.8; Estimated Effect = 6. Student-level outcomes Adoption of behavioral strategies (index). MDE = 0.51; Estimated Effect = 8.8. Respiratory health effects (index of lung capacity). MDE = 3.4; Estimated Effect = 12.32. Respiratory health symptoms (index). MDE = 0.22; Estimated Effect = 0.24. Respiratory health symptoms (count). MDE = 0.39; Estimated Effect = 0.48. Cognitive Test, Corsi working memory (index). MDE = 0.22; Estimated Effect = 0.48. Cognitive assessment, Peabody Picture Test (index). MDE = 0.22; Estimated Effect = 0.18 (Boys) & 0.55 (Girls).
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
The Review Committee for Protection of Research Risks to Humans, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata
IRB Approval Date
2024-10-18
IRB Approval Number
N/A
Analysis Plan

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