3,000 Young Adults Enroll in Nationwide Lung Health Study, More Needed in Vermont

More than 3,000 young adults have now enrolled in the first-ever nationwide research study that aims to redefine lung health in the U.S. The American Lung Association announced this critical milestone today for the Lung Health Cohort Research Study and encourages young adults between the ages of 25-35 in Vermont to learn more about the study at Lung.org/Lung-Study. 

The American Lung Association Lung Health Cohort Research Study is the first-ever large-scale lung health study. The goal is to track 4,000 young adults (aged 25-35 at time of enrollment) at the age of peak lung health for five years, to start, to evaluate how their environment, lifestyle and physical activity habits affect long term respiratory health. The Lung Health Cohort is taking place at The University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine, as well as 32 other sites across the country, and 1,000 more study participants are needed. Those interested can learn more here.

“Our hope is that the Lung Health Cohort Research Study will fundamentally change how we prevent, diagnose and treat lung disease for people in America and around the world. By studying the lungs of young adults, we hope to be able to predict what leads to chronic lung disease and lung cancer, and determine a way to stop it before a person is diagnosed with a disease,” said Charles Irvin, PhD, Principal Investigator for the Lung Health Cohort and professor of medicine at The University of Vermont. “Our lungs are one of our only organs that is exposed to so much of the outside world, including air pollution, smoke, chemicals and more, and we must do everything that we can to prevent disease. Because when you can’t breathe, nothing else matters.”

For the Lung Health Cohort, each participant will visit the study site where a healthcare provider will administer tests, including a low-dose CT scan, and ask several questions. Following that visit, the participants will provide information about their lung health electronically, over the phone, or by mail four times per year. 

The longitudinal study is made possible through a $24.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). The Lung Association's Airways Clinical Research Centers (ACRC) Network are conducting the study through researchers at all center locations.

Those interested in participating in the study can locate a site near them and start the process by visiting Lung.org/lung-study.