This novel research project is multidisciplinary in nature, combining Medicine and IT. Poor air quality has a direct impact on the health of citizens who either live or work in such environments. For those with underlining respiratory conditions, such as Asthma, poor air quality has an even greater negative impact on their day to day activities and long term health. In low and middle income countries (LMICs), including Malawi, access to consistent and reliable Asthma care, is limited, thus leaving a large portion of the Asthma population to fend for themselves. As such, the way in which people in Malawi manage their Asthma, may be suboptimal.
This research project serves as an opportunity to evaluate a small cohort of patients in Malawi (24 Asthma patients in total ) to assess the impact of air quality (using portable air monitoring sensors) against their 1) their perceived level of Asthma care and management vs 2) their actual level of Asthma care and management. The findings from this research may lead to new digital educational material to be developed (e.g. flyers, YouTube videos, podcasts etc) in partnership with the Malawian Ministry of Health to bridge any knowledge gaps which may exist among the Asthma community.
With the help of the funding provided by the HRB I will run this Malawian study remotely to validate my findings and present my results to the Malawian Ministry of Health for consideration.
