Research Design 2nd Submission

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DE LA SALLE HEALTH SCIENCES INSTITUTE COLLEGE OF MEDICINE

DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND COMMUNITY MEDICINE

CM2 SY 2011-2012

OUTPUT 3: RESEARCH DESIGN

I. Group 1A, Dr. Jovilia M. Abong

II. Research Question: Among students aged 13-14 with allergic rhinitis of selected schools in

Dasmarias, Cavite, will exposure to air-conditioned school rooms affect the severity of their allergic

rhinitis?

General Objective: To determine if the exposure to the air-conditioning system affects the severity

of allergic rhinitis in high school students aged 13-14, of selected schools in Dasmarias, Cavite.

Specific Objectives:

1. To identify the prevalence of allergic rhinitis among high school students, aged 13-14, of

selected schools in of Dasmarias, Cavite based on their exposure to air-conditioned rooms.

2. To identify the prevalence of allergic rhinitis among high school students, aged 13-14, of

selected schools in Dasmarias, Cavite based on their exposure to non-air-conditioned

classrooms.

3. To determine the severity of allergic rhinitis according to ARIA classifications.

4. To identify the risk factors of allergic rhinitis present in the classroom or school, such as

pollen, molds, and cockroaches.

5. To determine the number of hours exposed to the classroom with or without air-conditioning

system according to ARIA classifications.

6. Compare the severity of allergic rhinitis in students who are exposed to air-conditioned

classrooms and those who are not exposed to air-conditioned classrooms.

III. Background

a. Research Hypothesis: Exposure to air-conditioned rooms alleviates the symptoms and

occurrence of allergic rhinitis and poor ventilation leads to its severity.

b. Conceptual Framework:

Exposure Variable Disease Variable

Exposure to Air-

conditioning System

Decreased Severity of Allergic

Rhinitis and alleviation of symptoms

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Allergens/Irritants such

as pollen, molds,

cockroaches, dust

collecting furniture, and

chalk dust

Number of hours spent in

classroomConfounders


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IV. Design

a. Operational definition of variables

i. Dependent Variable Allergic Rhinitis

Allergic rhinitis (often called allergies or hay fever) occurs when the immune system overreactsto particles in the air that you breathe. When the immune system attacks the particles in the

body, it causes symptoms such as sneezing and a runny nose. Over the time, allergens may

begin to affect you less, and the severity of the symptoms also decreases. [1] It is characterized

as the inflammation of nasal passages, usually associated with watery nasal discharge and

itching of the nose and eyes after exposure to the allergen.

Around two-thirds of people with allergic rhinitis manifest the symptoms before the age

of 30 but the age at which the symptoms occur may vary. Genetics greatly affects the chance of

having allergic rhinitis of an individual. Usually if one or both parents have the disease, their

offspring will have a high chance of inheriting the disease. People with allergic rhinitis can also

be restricted by the disease in their day to day activities and this may result to increase in timeaway from school or work. Also, in the US, millions of dollars are spent every year for doctor

services and medicine for treating the chronic illness. Symptoms of this illness are triggered by

many different allergens and these usually include plant pollens, molds, dust, and allergens

produced by cats or dogs. The amount of these allergens is affected by the season as the spread

of pollens and spores are determined by the amount of wind in a particular season. [2]

ii. Independent Variable Air-conditioning System

According to the Department of Health of Hong Kong, sudden change in temperature both

indoor and outdoor may activate the release of inflammatory agents. They stated that the room

should be maintained at around 25 degrees Celsius.[3]

The air conditioner is a common appliance usually found in many buildings both private

and public. It is used to cool the air found indoors to make the people inside the building more

comfortable. Air conditioners nowadays are not only used for cooling the air, some types of air

conditioners can warm the indoor air especially those that are found in places where people

experience the winter season. In addition to their air temperature changing capability, the air

conditioners nowadays are also capable of filtering, disinfecting and dehumidifying the air to

make the people using the appliance more comfortable that is why the air conditioner is also

regarded as comfort-making-machine by some people. [4]

iii. Confounding Variables:

Allergens are substances or particles that are foreign to the body and can cause allergic reaction

in certain people. Pollens, molds, cockroaches, and dusts are examples of allergens which can

be found in the environment. In managing allergies, it is suggested to reduce the level of

exposure to these allergens. [8]

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Dust Mites are arachnids not visible by the naked eye that feed on flakes on dead human

skin. Mites do not bite humans or spread disease but rather allergy is triggered by the material

in the stool of dust mites. They are usually found indoors with high humidity (warm and damp).

They are also found in carpets, bed sheets, pillows, mattresses and box springs, furniture and

stuffed animals. They decrease in number when temperature decreases and at high altitude. [1]

Animal dander is loose skin cells from animals which contain secretion from glands in

the animals skin. These skin cells floats in the air where they may be breathed in by people.

The animal fur or hair is not an allergen, there might be dried saliva onto the hair that causes

the allergy. [1]

Pollens cause allergic reaction. These pollens are tiny that comes from plants (trees,

grasses, ragweed, etc.). The amount of pollen in the air plays a role in developing allergic

reaction. There is likely increased amounts of pollen in hot, dry and windy days, while a

decreased amount during cool, damp and rainy days. [5]

According to an article by deShazo and Kemp, the spores coming from molds can be a

trigger in releasing the symptoms of allergic rhinitis. Also, according to them, molds thrives in

damp environments such as air-conditioning vents, water traps, refrigerator drip trays, shower

stalls, leaky sink and damp basements if not cleaned regularly and under certain conditions, the

growth of these organisms can be considerable and exacerbate allergy symptoms. [6]Since

allergic rhinitis is difficult to cure, the focus is on preventing the attack of the symptoms. Molds

are seen as cotton-like element that is usually in the color of gray, green, black or white. These

molds produce strong earthy and musty odors, although some are odor-free. The smell could be

an indication of infection. [9]

Many different triggers that may cause a student to experience symptoms of asthma and

allergy are found inside a typical classroom. These triggers include the pollens from the plants

found near or inside a classroom, dust mites and mold spores. The cleanliness of the room may

also play a factor in triggering the allergic reactions. The students themselves may also carry

allergens produced by their pet cats or dogs that may be attached to their clothes and these

allergens can be in contact with the students with asthma or allergy. Chalk dusts are also

usually the causes of allergic reactions inside the classroom since the teachers usually use

chalks for writing on the green boards.[7]

Chalk dusts are particles produced when a chalk crayon is used to write on chalkboards.

These usually remain suspended in the air because these particles are not so heavy so as a

result, teachers and students usually inhale small amount of these and become trapped in the

mucous layers of the throat and upper lungs. This does not usually pose a threat to normalpersons because the accumulated chalk dust is naturally expelled out through coughing and the

remaining chalk dust is safely absorbed by the body. However, in persons with chronic

breathing issues or allergic rhinitis these chalk dust can irritate their upper respiratory tract and

trigger their symptoms and can be dangerous for the person who inhaled the chalk dust.[10]

Cockroaches are recognized as powerful indoor allergena. They are among the oldest

living species residing the earth. These creatures are hardy and adaptable that thrives in areas

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where food and water supplies are plentiful. They can be found around dripping faucets and

kitchen areas. The allergen produced by cockroaches is from the saliva, body parts and even

their digestive enzymes. These particles become airborne when disturbed by motion in the

room. [8]

b. Research Design

i. Type of study to be employed

The type of study that the researchers are going to be implementing is a cross-sectional research

design. The researchers deem this the most necessary research design just to see whether or not

there is a relationship between the number of hours exposed to air-conditioning systems and the

exacerbation of Allergic Rhinitis. Moreover, this research design is appropriate because the

Disease Variable of the research, which is Allergic Rhinitis, is not a rare disease (thus

eliminating the use of a case-control study). However, in doing a cross-sectional study, the

researchers must take note of and control the confounding variablesways of which will be

discussed in the latter part of the description of the research design.

ii. Definition of study groups population and sources of subjects.

The study population will be 13-14 year old children who, in the Philippine setting, are

approximately first year high school students. From this population, a sample of students who

have AR will be considered for the study. The sample populations will be gathered from select

schools in Dasmarias, Cavite, ideally one private and public school in order to acquire subjects

that have exposure to an air conditioned school environment and one that is not.

iii. Steps to be undertaken:

These are the steps to be done in our procedure to collect data for this project:

1. Randomly select 2 High Schools in Dasmarias, Cavite one with an air conditioning

system, one without.

2. Evaluate the classroom conditions of each school.

The group will visit each high school and evaluate the environmental conditions of each

classroom that will be part of the research. A checklist will be used to document and evaluate

the conditions.

3. Screen students for allergic rhinitis.

Each student will be screened through a questionnaire, based on the ISAAC questionnaire, to

eliminate those who do not have allergic rhinitis from the study group. [11] This will help in

making the research study more specific to those who have allergic rhinitis and how the

classroom conditions can alleviate or exacerbate their symptoms.

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4. A questionnaire will be given to each student who has AR in which it will ask them if

their symptoms are better or worse when they are in the classroom and what specific conditions

help or harm them.

5. Evaluate each students questionnaire.

Each students questionnaire will be evaluated to see what particular conditions exacerbate and

relieve their AR symptoms. There will also be a particular focus on whether having an air-

conditioning system present or not alleviates or worsens each students AR symptoms.

iv. Schematic Diagram

Measure of Association: Prevalence Ratio

Exacerbation of

Allergic

Rhinitis

(+) (-) Total

Air-

ConditioningSystem

(+) A B A+B

(-) C D C+D

Total A+C B+D A+B+C+D

c. Biases/Limitations

i. Enumeration of all biases/limitations

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The study will only focus on the role of ventilation inside the classrooms in the relief and

exacerbation of allergic rhinitis among students aged 13-14 years old studying in Dasmarias,

Cavite. It will not include other respiratory diseases and illness that may be affected by the

difference in ventilation.

The possible biases in the study are:

Selection bias

Expectation bias

ii. Plan to minimize these biases in the study

Selection bias may happen when subjects being compared are not similar, and may result to

data that is not representative of the population of interest. [12] With the use of proper screening

methods for the study population, we will select subjects that are similar in almost all aspects in

order to gather a more representative and comparable data.

Expectation bias happens when there is no masking or blinding implemented in the study

and this may influence and tarnish the data to be gathered towards the expected or desired

outcome. [12] To minimize this bias, a high level of objectivity must be maintained with each of

the members of the group of researchers in the gathering of data and its analysis.

Bibliography

[1] Healthwise Staff, Allergic Rhinitis, In: Thompson, E.G. MD, Nelson, H.S. MD, editor, Allergic

Rhinitis [cited 2011 July 31] Available from: http://www.webmd.com/allergies/tc/allergic-

rhinitis-overview

[2] Allergic rhinitis. (2010). Health encyclopedia diseases and conditions. Retrieved July 10, 2011,

from http://www.healthscout.com/ency/68/208/main.html.

[3] Retrieved on July 30, 2011 from

http://www.studenthealth.gov.hk/english/health/health_ophp/health_ophp_nos.html

[4] Air conditioner. (2009).Air conditioning and refrigeration information. Retrieved July 30, 2011, from

http://www.air-conditioning-and-refrigeration.com/air-conditioner.html.

[5] Busse, P.J. MD., (2010) Allergic Rhinitis In: Zieve, D. MD., editor., [cited 2011 July 31] Available

from: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000813.htm

[6] deShazo R., Patient Information: Trigger avoidance in allergic rhinitis. Retrieved on July 30, 2011

from http://www.uptodate.com/contents/patient-information-trigger-avoidance-in-allergic-rhinitis

[7] Health risks in the classroom: children with asthma and allergies need to take special precautions at

school. Retrieved July 30, 2011, from

http://www.kidneeds.com/diagnostic_categories/articles/classrisks01.htm.

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http://www.webmd.com/allergies/tc/allergic-rhinitis-overviewhttp://www.webmd.com/allergies/tc/allergic-rhinitis-overviewhttp://www.healthscout.com/ency/68/208/main.htmlhttp://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000813.htmhttp://www.webmd.com/allergies/tc/allergic-rhinitis-overviewhttp://www.webmd.com/allergies/tc/allergic-rhinitis-overviewhttp://www.healthscout.com/ency/68/208/main.htmlhttp://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000813.htm


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[8] Stppler, M.C., MD. Indoor Allergens In: Shiel, W.C. Jr., MD. FACP. FACR., editor, [cited 8

August 2011] Available from http://www.medicinenet.com/indoor_allergens/article.htm

[9] Oliver, S., Mold Detection How to Detect Toxic Mold in your Home? [cited 8 August 2011]

Available from http://ezinearticles.com/?Mold-Detection---How-to-Detect-Toxic-Mold-in-Your-

Home?&id=2589917

[10] Pollick, M. (2011). Is chalk dust harmful? Wise geek: clear answers for common questions.

Retrieved August 8, 2011, from http://www.wisegeek.com/is-chalk-dust-harmful.htm.

[11] ISAAC Questionnaire. International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood, [Website]. 2011

[cited 2011 August 8]. Available from

http://isaac.auckland.ac.nz/phases/phasethree/corequestionnaire.pdf.

[12] Hartman, J.M., Forsen, J.W., Wallace, M.S., Neely, J.G. (2002). Tutorials in clinical research: Part

IV: Recognizing and controlling bias.Laryngoscope, 112, 23-31.

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http://www.wisegeek.com/is-chalk-dust-harmful.htmhttp://www.wisegeek.com/is-chalk-dust-harmful.htm


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APPENDIX A

ISAAC QUESTIONNAIRE FOR SCREENING STUDENTS

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APPENDIX B

CHECKLIST FOR CLASSROOM CONDITIONS

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Research Design 2nd Submission

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