Grantee Research Project Results
2024 Progress Report: Understanding Pediatric Susceptibility Across Temperature and Environment in New York (UPStATE NY)
EPA Grant Number: R840472Title: Understanding Pediatric Susceptibility Across Temperature and Environment in New York (UPStATE NY)
Investigators: Clougherty, Jane E. , Sheffield, Perry E , Schinasi, Leah H , Kinnee, Ellen J , Just, Allan C
Institution: Drexel University , University of Pittsburgh , Mount Sinai School of Medicine
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Project Period: September 1, 2022 through May 12, 2025
Project Period Covered by this Report: September 1, 2023 through August 31,2024
Project Amount: $1,350,000
RFA: Cumulative Health Impacts at the Intersection of Climate Change, Environmental Justice, and Vulnerable Populations/Lifestages: Community-Based Research for Solutions (2021) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Watersheds , Endocrine Disruptors , Environmental Justice , Human Health
Objective:
We aim to identify community stressors and resilience-enhancing assets that shape relationships between climate change-related exposures [heat, ozone (O3), fine particulate matter (PM2.5)] and child health. We are particularly interested in assets which may bolster children’s resilience to climate-related exposures in environmental justice (EJ) communities across Upstate NY.
Progress Summary:
We have met with diverse partners (i.e., NIEHS Center for EH Research in Rochester, Adirondack Youth Climate Summit, NYS Public Health Association conference, NYS Association of Rural Health), presented a project overview, and sought asset suggestions using the Resilience Activation Framework (RAF); our strategy evolved to emphasize asset prioritization. We created a statewide Youth Advisory Panel (high schoolers, undergraduates) to inform on climate perspectives and assets. Assets emphasized by partners included: School quality (crowding, buildings & educational quality); Childcare; Head Start; Groceries; Greenspace/recreation; wealth; educational attainment; Transportation; Broadband; A/C access. We found good correspondence with the RAF, representing its five domains, and the Child Opportunity Index 2.0. School quality and programs emerged as key assets, leading to interest in disentangling multiple aspects (buildings, educational quality, social environment) on child health/resilience. We identified statewide data on each aspect, assigned values to health data, and are testing spatial correlations among indicators. We are building GIS indicators for other assets using data from National Neighborhood Data Archive; public parks (ParkServe data); greenspace [National Land Cover Database (NLCD)]. We are testing common spatial patterns in assets, stressors, pollution, and heat in GIS. Bivariate spatial correlations among assets will use Simultaneous Autoregressive Models. Suites of indicators will be derived using spatiallystratified principle component analysis (PCA) stratified by urbanicity (e.g., high-density urban, small town, rural).
We have geocoded all pediatric ED visits, 2005-2019, in NY Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative Systems
(SPARCS) data. Daily residential block-group PM2.5 and heat were estimated using fine-scale spatiotemporal models. We used a time-stratified case crossover design to estimate associations between daily PM2.5 and all-cause and cause-specific ED visits/ hospitalizations, adjusting for daily minimum temperature, and across 6 lag days. Our data includes 22,660,029 all-cause ED visits in children aged 0-17. For all-cause visits, we found greater per-unit risks at low concentrations (< 6 ug/m3), and stronger associations for injury than other outcomes (respiratory, nervous system, digestive, infections, mental health, general symptoms), particularly on the case day. We are testing effects on seizure/ epilepsy (disproportionately prevalent in Latino children), and exploring novel methods for multiple exposures (i.e., Structural Equations Modeling, Hierarchical Bayesian Models). We tested modification in all-cause models by urbanicity, finding consistent results on case day, and weaker associations thereafter. In all categories, we found larger risks among 5-13 year-olds than young children or teens. Per-unit risks were higher at lower concentrations. We found stronger associations for PM2.5 in low- (vs. high-poverty) tracts. Associations did not differ by poverty in less-populated communities. We will examine variation by quintile of assets, across urbanicity categories.
Aim. 2.4: Integrate the stressor/asset findings into local and statewide climate adaptation and pediatric clinical initiatives. This work will occur as part of a future aim.
Future Activities:
- Complete development of GIS-based asset indicators.
- Examine spatial correlations among assets/ stressors/ pollution/ temperature.
- Prepare & submit framework paper on community assets & climate resilience in child health.
- Complete & submit paper based on statewide all-cause morbidity analysis.
- Complete & submit papers based on SEM, HBM, and case-crossover analyses.
- Review city- and statewide temperature projections from NYS Climate Impact Assessment and Columbia U Climate School; include in epidemiologic models and community engagement.
- IRB renewal plans – IRB renewal is due at Sinai in January 2025, as are SMART IRB sub-IRB applications at Drexel and University of Pittsburgh.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 8 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
Resilience, assets, community stressors, non-chemical stressors, child health, healthcare utilization, climate change, temperature, heat, ozone, PM2.5Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.