An interventional study of Portable cooking appliances in Asthma Control, sponsored by MetroHealth Medical Center. Not yet recruiting. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-05-22.
Sponsored by MetroHealth Medical Center · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
The goals of this study are to determine if replacing gas stoves with portable electric hot plates and electric toaster ovens will improve indoor air quality and asthma control. Researchers will enroll participants with poorly controlled asthma and provide them with hot plates and toaster ovens to use instead of gas stoves. Researchers will measure indoor air quality about 1-2 weeks before and about 2-3 months after providing portable appliances. Participants will answer questions about their asthma symptoms and take lung function tests about 1-2 weeks before and about 2-3 months after using portable appliances.
Cooking on natural gas stoves is a major source of indoor air pollution and may contribute to asthma exacerbations. The investigators recently completed a single-arm trial in which gas stoves were replaced with electric induction stoves in the homes of 85 individuals with poorly controlled asthma. This led to 70% reductions in indoor NO2 levels and clinically important improvements in multiple measures of asthma control. Asthma Control Questionnaire scores improved by 1.1 points in this trial, which is twice as large as the average improvement seen with medical treatment such as inhaled corticosteroids and/or long-acting beta-agonists.
While these results are promising, the trial lacked a control group which limits the causal inferences that can be drawn. In addition, lung function was not directly measured. Moreover, the costs for stove installation and required electrical upgrades averaged nearly $10,000 per home. Most of this cost was related to the older housing stock of trial participants that often required upgrading the entire electrical panel in a house to install a new 240-volt kitchen outlet for the new electric stove. These costs can be a financial challenge for low-income households, limiting the scalability of a potentially effective solution for improving indoor air quality and asthma control.
To address these limitations, the investigators now propose a pilot randomized controlled trial using a delayed crossover design to evaluate the effectiveness of a low-cost intervention to improve indoor air quality, asthma control, and lung function. The investigators will leave gas stoves in place but will instruct participants to preferentially use two relatively inexpensive portable electric appliances that the investigators will provide. Cooking will be done with an electric induction hot plate and baking with an electric toaster oven. Induction hot plates use magnetic coils beneath a ceramic glass surface to send electromagnetic pulses directly to cookware. The investigators will provide induction stove compatible cookware because it is necessary to use cookware that has some steel or iron in order for the energy transfer to work.
The two portable electric appliances and induction cookware are estimated to cost approximately $600 in total and may provide a more affordable option for low-income households. If a household already has a microwave oven, they will be encouraged to use that as well. As the future scalability of the intervention will depend on its usage, the investigators will also evaluate usage and identify facilitators and barriers to consistent use of the portable devices.
4,841 studies on the registry are indexed under Asthma; 600 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 20 is below the median of 78 across 3,341 interventional studies indexed under Asthma.
Browse Asthma studies →MetroHealth Medical Center is the lead sponsor of 104 studies on the registry; 20 are open to participants now.
Of its 12 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 7 (58%) have results posted.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Participants will receive electric hotplate and electric toaster oven immediately after enrollment.
Other: Portable cooking appliances
Participants will receive electric hotplate and electric toaster oven six months after enrollment.
Other: Portable cooking appliances
The investigators will leave gas stoves in place but will instruct participants to preferentially use two relatively inexpensive portable electric appliances that the investigators will provide. Cooking will be done with an electric induction hot plate and baking with an electric toaster oven.
Change in asthma control
Change in Asthma Control Questionnaire score from baseline to final assessment. Asthma Control Questionnaire scores can range from 0 to 6 with higher scores indicating poor asthma control.
Time frame: Baseline assessment 1-2 weeks before portable appliances given to participant. Final assessment 2-3 months after portable appliances given to participant.
Change in indoor nitrogen dioxide levels
Change in nitrogen dioxide level from baseline to final assessment
Time frame: Baseline assessment 1-2 weeks before portable appliances given to participant. Final assessment 2-3 months after portable appliances given to participant.
Change in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)
Changes in FEV1 from baseline to final assessment.
Time frame: Baseline assessment 1-2 weeks before portable appliances given to participant. Final assessment 2-3 months after portable appliances given to participant.
No study locations are listed for this record.
Plan to share: No
Start is estimated for Jun 2026; primary completion for May 2029, 35 months later.
Of 599 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Asthma, half reached primary completion within 24 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 11 and three quarters within 50. This study's planned 35 months is above that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 649 studies reached it within 23 months; a quarter within 10 and three quarters within 48.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in May 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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