One Take #9 - What Makes People Actually Use Air Quality Apps
Send us a textWhat makes someone download an air quality monitoring app and actually keep using it? The answer might surprise you. In this eye-opening exploration of a fascinating study from Indonesia, we dive deep into the psychology behind environmental technology adoption. The research, published in the International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, reveals that enjoyment—not usefulness—is the single most powerful driver of air quality app usage. Examining responses from over 370 users, researchers discovered that creating an engaging, even fun experience trumps both functionality and ease of use. Meanwhile, a person's general attitude toward technology (their "technology readiness") dramatically impacts whether they'll embrace these potentially life-saving tools. Someone who's naturally tech-optimistic approaches these apps completely differently than someone who's privacy-concerned or technology-hesitant.The implications are profound for developers, public health officials, and anyone working in environmental technology. The study shows that no matter how accurate your air quality data might be, if the experience isn't engaging, users simply won't stick around. It's a powerful reminder that even with the most serious health and environmental technologies, the human elements—enjoyment, habit, and emotion—often determine success or failure.Has your experience with environmental apps matched these findings? Try paying attention to which apps you actually use regularly versus those that sit forgotten on your phone, and you might discover your own patterns that confirm this research.Understanding Behavioral Intention to Use of AirQuality Monitoring Solutions with Emphasis onTechnology ReadinessSupport the showCheck out the Air Quality Matters website for more information, updates and more. And the YouTube Channel The Air Quality Matters Podcast is brought to you in partnership with. Eurovent Farmwood 21 Degrees Aereco Aico Ultra Protect InBiot The One Take Podcast is brought to you in partnership with. SafeTraces All great companies that share the podcast's passion for better air quality in the built environment. Supporting them helps support the show.
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#80 Abigail Whitehouse: When a child can't breathe, everything else stops.
Send us a textWhat really happens in a child's body during a severe asthma attack? Dr. Abigail Whitehouse, pediatric respiratory consultant, takes us on a sobering journey through the physiology of asthma, beginning with a paramedic's memory of a late-night emergency.The conversation reveals the hidden mechanisms of respiratory distress—airways becoming increasingly constricted as immune cells flood lung tissues, creating a life-threatening situation where medication becomes ineffective and oxygen levels plummet. We learn that asthma development involves a complex interplay between genetic predisposition and environmental triggers that "switch" the immune system's response.Dr. Whitehouse shares insights from her environmental health clinic, where she's pioneering approaches that look beyond medication to address the root causes of respiratory illness. The discussion uncovers disturbing connections between air pollution, poor housing conditions, and asthma mortality rates, revealing how social inequalities create disproportionate health burdens.Most powerfully, she challenges the acceptance of ongoing symptoms, emphasising that proper asthma management should aim for complete symptom elimination. For parents, healthcare providers, and anyone concerned about respiratory health, this episode offers critical knowledge about warning signs, proper inhaler use, and the environmental factors that could mean the difference between life and death during an asthma emergency.Abigail Whitehouse - LinkedinAbigail WhitehouseAsthma & Lung UK Support the showCheck out the Air Quality Matters website for more information, updates and more. And the YouTube Channel The Air Quality Matters Podcast is brought to you in partnership with. Eurovent Farmwood 21 Degrees Aereco Aico Ultra Protect InBiot The One Take Podcast is brought to you in partnership with. SafeTraces All great companies that share the podcast's passion for better air quality in the built environment. Supporting them helps support the show.
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One Take #8 - Passive House Reality Check
Send us a textGabriel Rojas and colleagues' comprehensive review examines indoor air quality in over 600 Passive Houses, revealing that properly-designed mechanical ventilation systems generally outperform conventional housing for background pollutants like CO2, VOCs and radon. Quality control makes a dramatic difference - a UK study found 100% of certified Passive Houses met required airflows while only 47% of non-certified MVHR homes even met basic building regulations.• Certified Passive Houses show consistently better ventilation performance than non-certified buildings with similar technology• Quality assurance processes are essential, not optional extras• Cooking pollution creates a significant blind spot in Passive House design• Recirculating cooker hoods fail to capture harmful PM2.5 particles, which remain trapped in airtight spaces• New Passive House guidance now strongly recommends extracting cooker hoods venting outside• Proper makeup air systems must be balanced with kitchen extraction• Both certification rigor and comprehensive pollutant management are necessary for truly healthy homesA review of the indoor air quality in residential Passive House dwellings Support the showCheck out the Air Quality Matters website for more information, updates and more. And the YouTube Channel The Air Quality Matters Podcast is brought to you in partnership with. Eurovent Farmwood 21 Degrees Aereco Aico Ultra Protect InBiot The One Take Podcast is brought to you in partnership with. SafeTraces All great companies that share the podcast's passion for better air quality in the built environment. Supporting them helps support the show.
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#79 - Stefan Flagner: Clean Air Economics
Send us a textThe economic value of healthy buildings represents one of the greatest untapped frontiers in our quest for better indoor environments. While we've mastered the technical aspects of creating healthier spaces, convincing decision-makers to invest remains challenging without clear financial metrics.Stefan Flagner, an economics researcher with a PhD spanning economics and health sciences, brings a unique perspective to this conversation. As co-author of "10 Questions Concerning the Economics of Indoor Environmental Quality in Buildings," Stefan explores how we can quantify and communicate the return on investment for healthy building initiatives. His research reveals we're at a critical juncture—similar to where energy efficiency stood two decades ago—where the business case exists but needs stronger articulation.The discussion examines several fascinating aspects of this challenge: the split incentives between building owners and occupants, the difficulty in measuring productivity impacts across different industries, and the need for more robust field studies rather than relying solely on laboratory evidence. Stefan highlights how interdisciplinary approaches combining economics, engineering, and health sciences are essential yet surprisingly rare in research.What makes this conversation particularly valuable is Stefan's focus on practical applications. Rather than targeting companies already investing in premium spaces, he emphasises reaching conservative business owners with limited capital who need hard numbers to justify investments. The path forward requires better data collection, post-occupancy evaluations, and tools that allow businesses to calculate potential returns based on their specific circumstances. Ready to discover how the economics of healthy buildings could transform our approach to indoor environments? This episode provides crucial insights for anyone involved in building design, management, investment, or occupational health.Stephan Flagner - LinkedIn 10 Questions Support the showCheck out the Air Quality Matters website for more information, updates and more. And the YouTube Channel The Air Quality Matters Podcast is brought to you in partnership with. Eurovent Farmwood 21 Degrees Aereco Aico Ultra Protect InBiot The One Take Podcast is brought to you in partnership with. SafeTraces All great companies that share the podcast's passion for better air quality in the built environment. Supporting them helps support the show.
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One Take #7 - Formaldehyde, Damp, and Mold in English Housing
Send us a textWe dive into a fascinating paper that quantifies respiratory disease burden from formaldehyde, damp and mold in English housing. Using Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) as a metric, researchers reveal the hidden health costs of poor housing conditions while highlighting significant data gaps that could mean we're vastly underestimating the problem.• Formaldehyde exposure in English homes associated with approximately 4,000 new childhood asthma cases (800 DALYs) in 2019• Official surveys indicate 4% of English homes have significant damp/mold problems• Damp and mold exposure linked to 5,000 new asthma cases and 8,500 respiratory infections (2,800 DALYs)• Alternative data suggests up to 27% of homes might have damp issues, potentially making the health burden 3-8 times higher• Clear pattern of inequality shows low-income households and ethnic minorities bear greater burden• Research highlights urgent need for better national surveillance of indoor environments• Paper provides a framework for understanding housing as a quantifiable public health and equity issueThe Burden of Respiratory Disease from Formaldehyde, Dampand Mould in English HousingThanks a million to our sponsors, SafeTraces, and InBiot who make this podcast possible.Support the showCheck out the Air Quality Matters website for more information, updates and more. And the YouTube Channel The Air Quality Matters Podcast is brought to you in partnership with. Eurovent Farmwood 21 Degrees Aereco Aico Ultra Protect InBiot The One Take Podcast is brought to you in partnership with. SafeTraces All great companies that share the podcast's passion for better air quality in the built environment. Supporting them helps support the show.
Air Quality Matters inside our buildings and out.This Podcast is about Indoor Air Quality, Outdoor Air Quality, Ventilation, and Health in our homes, workplaces, and education settings.And we already have many of the tools we need to make a difference.The conversations we have and how we share this knowledge is the key to our success.We speak with the leaders at the heart of this sector about them and their work, innovation and where this is all going.Air quality is the single most significant environmental risk we face to our health and wellbeing, and its impacts on us, our friends, our families, and society are profound.From housing to the workplace, education to healthcare, the quality of the air we breathe matters. Air Quality Matters
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