The Norton Children’s team will evaluate changes in children’s asthma from thousands of new trees, shrubs and grasses being planted in a 3-square-mile section of South Louisville.

Published: November 17, 2021 | Updated: March 11, 2022

A new study by Norton Children’s Pulmonology, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, will examine whether more trees and other plants in a neighborhood affects children’s asthma.

The team, led by pediatric pulmonologist Scott Bickel, M.D., will evaluate changes in children’s asthma as thousands of new trees, shrubs and grasses are planted in a 3-square-mile section of South Louisville. The study is being conducted in conjunction with Green Heart Louisville, which is planting the greenery as part of a broader study of the effects of green space on the health of the 22,000 residents who live in the neighborhoods.

The children with asthma in the green space neighborhoods will be compared with children who live outside the 3-square-mile tract.

Children who enroll in the study will have visits every three months that may include a physical exam, urine tests and lung examinations. A blood test will be done at the start of the study and then once a year. The study also may include questionnaires and an asthma symptom journal. The study will last up to three years. No changes will be made to the participants’ asthma medications as a result of this study. Qualified individuals will be compensated for their time.

To be eligible, children must:

• Be 6 to 18 years old.
• Live in a South Louisville neighborhood involved in the Green Heart Louisville project – contact us to find out if you live in the study area.
• Have been diagnosed with asthma, use an inhaled corticosteroid (a daily “controller” inhaler) and also have a “rescue” inhaler.
• Speak English.
• Not have any other lung disease besides asthma.

UofL IRB# 20.0029