Project Description

Community Assessment of Freeway Exposure and Health Study (CAFEH) is a community-based participatory research project that has full participation of the community partners in all aspects of the science including: developing the proposal, leading the study, collecting, analyzing and interpreting the data. Our plan is to work in three neighborhoods in succession, each for one year.

• Our specific aim is to assess the association between exposure to air pollutants emanating from highway traffic and cardiac health in communities are near highways. We will compare measurements of ultrafine particulates (UFP) and other pollutants with measures of health including C-reactive protein (CRP) a measure of systemic inflammation in adults. We will measure changes in air pollution levels and health impacts as a function of distance from highways in six communities in Boston (a city with two major highways).

• Another of our aim is to investigate the community and cultural understanding of the effects of air pollution on health among people living in neighborhoods adjacent to major highways. From using this information we will develop and field test culturally appropriate, educational modules that will raise awareness of risks and countermeasures.

• CAFEH Diagram
• Community Assessment of Freeway Exposure and Health Fact Sheet
• Technical Description
• Protocol (June 2009)
• Outreach Flyer (April 2009)
• Questionnaire (June 2009)
• Supplement Questionnaire (June 2009)