PhD Student: Zakyieh Mohammadi; Partner: The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust; Supervisors: Prof. Alice Turner, Dr. Marco Bardos and Dr. Suzanne Bartington; Department of Applied Health Sciences
People spend most of their time indoors, where poor indoor environmental quality (IEQ)—such as mould, moisture, air pollution, and humidity—can exacerbate asthma symptoms. Individuals living in low-income or poorly ventilated homes may be at a higher risk and have fewer options to mitigate these hazards. The West Midlands Fire Service and the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust have collaborated on the Safe Air for Everyone programme since 2021, which runs through Home, Safe, and Well visits. During these visits, risks in the home are identified and residents are referred to appropriate health services. The service collects a lot of routine data, but its impact and the best ways to use that data to facilitate behaviour change have not yet been assessed.
This PhD will co-design and develop an evidence-based, data-driven digital behavioural intervention to support individuals with asthma in taking practical steps to improve indoor environmental quality and enhance asthma self-management, with a focus on accessibility and equity.
The research will: 1. Review effective behavioural interventions and existing asthma apps to identify best practices. 2. Analyse “Home, Safe & Well” data to enhance the existing referral process and investigate approaches to digitise and scale it throughout the West Midlands. 3. Conduct needs assessments and co-design workshops with stakeholders and people with asthma to create and improve an inclusive digital tool.
The project will deliver publishable evidence, practical suggestions for improving current services, and a co-designed digital intervention prototype with guidelines to help the Trust and WMFS implement it in the future.