Whole Communities-Whole Health: A Holistic Study of Home Environments

Whole Communities-Whole Health is an interdisciplinary research initiative aimed at reinventing how we study the environmental, behavioral and social determinants of health in vulnerable communities. In this holistic study, we are examining indoor exposures within homes as well as the social/behavioral factors that affect the physical and mental health of building occupants. A combination of sensing technologies, survey instruments, and sample collection methodologies were tested first with University cohorts prior to rolling it out to families living in an unincorporated Texas community. The unique combination of study measures in the University cohort provided several insights that identified, for instance, the impact of indoor air quality on sleep in home environments, as well as the relationships between mental health, location and activity. Challenges transitioning the study to a cohort of families include the need to minimize the burden on busy families as well as provide reliable internet and clear instructions in multiple languages.