COVID-19 in the American Lung Association Lung Health Cohort

Given the urgency of the pandemic and its major disruption to life in the US, we propose to carry out research to address two critical public health questions: 1) how individual behaviors and disease mitigation policies contribute to seropositivity to the SARS-CoV2 infection and self-reported diagnoses of COVID-19 in young adults; and, 2) whether seropositivity and diagnoses are associated with adverse long-term pulmonary function. We can answer these questions in timely manner by measuring serologic antibodies to SARS-CoV2 infection among 4,000 adults ages 25-35 years old who enroll in the American Lung Association Lung Health Cohort (ALA LHC). With repeated assessments of serologic antibodies, we can identify correlates of seropositivity at baseline and prospectively investigate the influence of behaviors, occupation, local policies and the introduction of vaccines on changes in seropositivity. The geographic distribution of ALA LHC participants across 27 metropolitan areas in the US will allow us to describe changes in the prevalence across regions and geopolitical units. By combining these measures with the lung phenotyping planned in the ALA LHC (i.e., lung function, CT lung injury, respiratory symptoms and plasma biomarkers), we will answer critical questions about the relationship of behaviors and health of young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic with their short- and long-term respiratory health.