title: Personal and demographic factors and change of subjective indoor air quality reported by school children in relation to exposure at Swedish schools: a 2-year longitudinal study.
abstract: This paper studies changes in subjective indoor air quality (SIAQ) among school children and relates these data to repeated exposure measurements during a two-year follow-up period. Data on SIAQ and demographic information were gathered by a questionnaire sent to 1476 primary and secondary school pupils in 39 randomly selected schools at baseline and after two years (follow-up). Exposure measurements were applied after questionnaire data were collected at baseline and follow-up in approximately 100 classrooms. The arithmetic mean values for baseline and follow-up were: for indoor air temperature 23.6°C and 21.8°C and for outdoor air flow rate 5.4 L/s and 7.9L/s. Older children, those with atopy at baseline, and those in larger schools reported impaired SIAQ during follow-up. Installation of new ventilation systems, higher personal air flow rate and air exchange rate, and better illumination were associated with improved SIAQ. Higher CO2 levels were associated with impaired SIAQ. In conclusion, sufficient ventilation and illumination in classrooms are essential for the perception of good indoor air quality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, 75185 Uppsala, Sweden; University Hospital, 75185 Uppsala, Sweden. Electronic address: juan.wang@medsci.uu.se.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, 75185 Uppsala, Sweden; University Hospital, 75185 Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Greta
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Smedje
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, 75185 Uppsala, Sweden; University Hospital, 75185 Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nordquist
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, 75185 Uppsala, Sweden; University Hospital, 75185 Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Norbäck
mesh_terms: D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002648:Child; D003710:Demography; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D012574:Schools / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013548:Sweden; D013696:Temperature; D014691:Ventilation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: Building dampness; Carbon dioxide (CO(2)); School environment; Subjective indoor air quality; Ventilation; Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)