Examining the Potential of Air Purifiers and Behavioural Interventions in Mitigating the Impact of Air Pollution on Children in the Global South

Air quality has been rapidly deteriorating in the developing world with increasingly severe consequences on health and long-lasting adverse effects on children. Delhi is one of the most severely affected cities wherein the local government resorts to cancel school classes due to extremely hazardous levels of air pollution. This project seeks to reduce the exposure of students while in school and equipping them with pollution avoidance strategies. We propose to conduct two interventions: (1) a deployment of HEPA air purifiers in school classrooms, and (2) an informational intervention aimed at changing students’ behavior to mitigate the adverse effects of air pollution. We plan to conduct each of these interventions in 40 Kendriya Vidyalaya schools in Delhi, during the period of the highest air pollution. By conducting an RCT we will evaluate experimentally the effect of these interventions by examining both indoor air pollution concentrations and the associated effect on students’ absenteeism in treated classrooms.