Children's Health in London and Luton (CHILL)

NCT04695093 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 239719
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 3,312
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Investigating the impact of London's Ultra Low Emission Zone on children's respiratory health

Conditions

Pollution; Exposure; Respiratory Disease; Child Development

Keywords

respiratory disease

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Lung function growth as change in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) per year

  Measured by annual spirometry, as annual change in FEV1/year over 4 years

  Four years, 2018 -2021

Secondary Outcomes (15)

• Air quality, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentration derived from the the KCLUrban dispersion model

  Four years, 2018 -2021

• Air quality, oxides of nitrogen (NOx) concentration derived from the KCLUrban dispersion model

  Four years, 2018 -2021

• Air quality, particulate matter diameter <2.5microns derived from the KCLUrban dispersion model

  Four years, 2018 -2021

• Air quality, particulate matter diameter <2.5microns derived from the KCLUrban dispersion model

  Four years, 2018 -2021

• Lung capacity as FVC (forced vital capacity)

  Four years, 2018 -2021

Study Arms (2)

London (intervention)

1606 children aged 6-9 yrs old, recruited in 44 London primary schools (years 2-4) within the Central London ULEZ area

Other: Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ)

Luton (comparison)

1706 children aged 6-9 yrs old, recruited in 41 Luton and Dunstable primary schools (years 2-4)

Interventions

Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) OTHER

The ULEZ comprises a Central London zone, implemented on 8th April 2019, within which polluting vehicles are subject to a charge. Using number plate recognition technology, a daily penalty charge notice is issued for vehicles entering this central zone not meeting the standard of Euro 4 for petrol, Euro 6/VI for diesel, and Euro for motorcycles. The ULEZ will subsequently be extended to include: 1. In 2020, a London-wide ULEZ for heavy duty vehicles (HDV) within the LEZ boundary (green zone). HDVs not meeting Euro 6 standard will be charged daily. 2. In 2021, an Inner London ULEZ area for all light duty vehicles (LDV) within the boundary of the North and South Circular Roads (yellow zone). Vehicles not meeting the above criteria will be charged daily as for the Central London area.

Also known as: Clean Air Zone

London (intervention)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 9 Years - 9 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Children aged 6-9 yrs old, recruited in 40 London primary schools (years 2, 3, 4) within the Central London ULEZ area and Children aged 6-9 yrs old, recruited in 40 Luton primary schools (years 2, 3 4).

You may qualify if:

• Primary schools within, or with catchment areas that include, the Central London ULEZ.
• Primary schools within the Borough of Luton and town of Dunstable.
• State or independent sectors.
• Children attending a study school, in years 2, 3, or 4, at study inception.

You may not qualify if:

• Schools that are not primary schools within the above boundaries.
• Children with learning or physical disabilities sufficient for them to be unable to give informed assent to the study, or to carry out study procedures.
• Children with major lung disease (not including asthma).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Queen Mary University of London: lead
• King's College London: collaborator
• University of Edinburgh: collaborator
• University of Bedfordshire: collaborator
• University of Cambridge: collaborator
• University of Southern California: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Queen Mary University of London

London, E1 2AB, United Kingdom

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Tsocheva I, Scales J, Dove R, Chavda J, Kalsi H, Wood HE, Colligan G, Cross L, Newby C, Hall A, Keating M, Sartori L, Moon J, Thomson A, Tomini F, Murray A, Hamad W, Tijm S, Hirst A, Vincent BP, Kotala P, Balkwill F, Mihaylova B, Grigg J, Quint JK, Fletcher M, Mon-Williams M, Wright J, van Sluijs E, Beevers S, Randhawa G, Eldridge S, Sheikh A, Gauderman W, Kelly F, Mudway IS, Griffiths CJ. Investigating the impact of London's ultra low emission zone on children's health: children's health in London and Luton (CHILL) protocol for a prospective parallel cohort study. BMC Pediatr. 2023 Nov 4;23(1):556. doi: 10.1186/s12887-023-04384-5.

  PMID: 37925402 DERIVED

Biospecimen

Retention: SAMPLES WITH DNA

Buccal/saliva

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Respiration Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Respiratory Tract Diseases

Study Officials

• Mays Jawad, PhD

  Queen Mary University of London

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 26, 2020
• First Posted: January 5, 2021
• Study Start: June 5, 2018
• Primary Completion: July 1, 2023
• Study Completion: July 1, 2023
• Last Updated: April 23, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Locations

GB (1)