Grantee Research Project Results
2023 Progress Report: Analysis of Climate Change Related Chemical and Non-Chemical Stressor Exposures: Cumulative Health Impacts and Risk Trajectories in Vulnerable Ohio Census Tracts
EPA Grant Number: R840471Title: Analysis of Climate Change Related Chemical and Non-Chemical Stressor Exposures: Cumulative Health Impacts and Risk Trajectories in Vulnerable Ohio Census Tracts
Investigators: Hood, Darryl , Juarez, Paul D , Langston, Michael A , Al-Hamdan, Mohammad , Mouton, Charles P. , Tabatabai, Mohammad , Ramesh, Aramandla , Miller, Harvey , Ard, Kerry , Thomas, Jason , Usher, Kareem , Le, Huyen , Im, Wonsoo
Current Investigators: Hood, Darryl , Langston, Michael A , Mouton, Charles P. , Miller, Harvey , Ard, Kerry , Thomas, Jason , Le, Huyen
Institution: Meharry Medical College , The Ohio State University , The University of Texas Medical Branch - Galveston , University of Tennessee -Knoxville , University of Mississippi
Current Institution: Meharry Medical College , The Ohio State University , The University of Texas Medical Branch - Galveston , University of Tennessee -Knoxville
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Project Period: December 1, 2022 through May 8, 2025
Project Period Covered by this Report: December 1, 2022 through November 30,2023
Project Amount: $1,294,249
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:
OBJECTIVE 1. Refine an existing community-based participatory research infrastructure that provides input and guidance into all phases of research designed to better understand the effects of climate change-related chemical and non-chemical stressor exposures on residents from environmental justice communities in Columbus, Ohio.
(1) During YR1 of the award, we have continued to be a dependable partner in leading our stakeholder team (federally qualified health center, academic colleges Ohio State University, non-profit organizations, local community-based organizations, state Medicaid provider, early learning centers for K5 children, statewide health coalition including the local and state health departments, and mental health providers) to effectively implement objective 1 of the proposed studies. We would like to highlight three examples (a-c) of accomplishments as preliminary data, work progress, and results for the reporting period relative to the goals and objectives (outputs/outcomes) for YR1.
(a) Because we are utilizing our novel life-course, social-ecological Public Health Exposome framework and analytics, while recruiting participants for the EJ study, in parallel we curated a retrospective prekindergarten children’s cohort (n=485) from the four participating Columbus Early Learning Centers that are in environmental justice census tracts. We utilized a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative and qualitative methods including spatial analysis, modeling in a geographic information system (GIS) environment, GIS-based multi-criterion decision analysis, supervised and unsupervised clustering methodologies in the retrospective study. A model was developed to estimate associations, links, and correlations between environmental and socio-demographic variables (neighborhood sociodemographic characteristics, tree canopy, exposure to toxic chemical releases, proximity to traffic related pollutants, etc.) with performance on the Get Ready to Read (GRTR) and the Preschool Early Numeracy Screener (PENS-B) evaluation tools in pre-K children ages three to five. The results of this retrospective primer revealed significant differences in pre-COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 average reading test scores but not in pre-COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 average mathematics scores for this pre-kindergarten cohort. Additionally, clustering of low reading scores was uncovered near one CELC location and mixed linear regression modeling revealed significant latent associations between reading and mathematics test scores and environmental and sociodemographic variables.
(b) To our published E6 framework in the most vulnerable EJ communities of Columbus, Ohio, we added implementation of the Public Engagement to Reimagine Community Co-planning (PERCC) framework to significantly enhance our community engagement approach used in this USEPA STAR project. The PERCC framework is a multi-lateral communication construct with an associated technology platform that enables two key processes that are essential to inclusive co-planning leading to: (1) better, more engaging dissemination of plans and plans-in-progress to a wider range of community members and stakeholders, and (2) reduction of barriers to community member participation to expand their role in every step of the community planning process with local policy makers. Thus far, 24 sessions across vulnerable communities have revealed a shared conviction amongst all stakeholders that public participation in community planning is not at the desired levels, and that increased participation will translate into better planning and better community outcomes. Of course, these views have a strong evidential foundation and adopting a polycentric, collaborative perspective on decision-making will prove to positively contribute to community sustainability and resilience.
(c) In partnership with the City of Columbus, the PI’s USEPA STAR grant identified low income, disadvantaged communities (LIDACs) in the Columbus metropolitan statistical area using a combination of the EPA’s Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST) and CDC’s Environmental Justice Index (EJI) to identify high priority LIDAC census tracts in the Columbus MSA In this region, 29% of the MSA population from 137 census tracts [110 in urban (Franklin) and 27 in suburban/rural (remaining) counties] are considered LIDACs according to CEJST (See Appendix C). To further prioritize meaningful engagement efforts, the CDC’s EJI data was overlaid onto CEJST data to identify areas that were most severely burdened. Additionally, we conducted a LIDAC benefits cost analysis (LIDAC-BCA) as mandated by the Justice 40 initiative component for the above-mentioned sister EPA grant program that represented the City of Columbus’ first iteration of utilizing the above mentioned E6 and PERCC engagement frameworks. For decades, these communities have been negatively affected by numerous local and national policy decisions, including the construction of Interstates 70 and 71 directly through the Near East Side, Southside and Linden LIDACs This has led to community distrust in local and city authorities, in addition to a general disconnect in priorities and general understanding between the community and those local policy makers, and a steady diminution in community participation in civic activities. Despite these sentiments of distrust, community engaged participatory research activities led by the EPA STAR team with city partnerships over the past 7-8 years have been able to galvanize residents from these communities using transformative frameworks which has resulted in heightening the general interests of residents from environmental justice communities.
Progress Summary:
| 8/2022 | Dr. Hood appointed to NIEHS National Advisory Environmental Health Sciences Council |
| 2/10/23 | Co-investigators initiate meeting via weekly Zoom videoconferences (Friday 11 – 12pm). |
| 6/2023 | Dr. Hood appointed to National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine Standing Committee on the Use of Emerging Science for Environmental Health |
| 6/2023 | Dr. Hood wrote the Low-Income Disadvantaged Communities-Benefits Cost Analysis section of the City of Columbus USEPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) [Awarded 8/1/2023] Dr. Hood appointed to National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine Children’s Environmental Health Committee |
| 10/2023 | Dr. Hood appointed to National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Public Health and Surveillance Priorities from the East Palestine, Ohio Train Derailment |
| 11/2023 | CFAES DEI Speaker Series. Dr. Hood hosted Dr. Robert Bullard, Ph.D. The quest for environmental justice: Why race and place still matter. |
| 12/2023 | Dr. Hood elected to Society of Toxicology Advisory Council, Councilor |
| 12/2023 | Dr. Hood presented at USA 2024 Exposome Symposium. Application of an Exposomics Framework in Evaluating Outcomes in Environmental Justice Communities across the COVID-19 Syndemic in Columbus, Ohio |
Journal Articles on this Report : 9 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
| Other project views: | All 17 publications | 13 publications in selected types | All 13 journal articles |
|---|
| Type | Citation | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Valdez RB, Tabatabai M, Al-Hamdan MZ, Wilus D, Hood DB, Im W, Nori-Sarma A, Ramesh A, Donneyong MM, Langston MA, Mouton CP. Association of diabetes and exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the Southeastern United States. Hygiene and Environmental Health Advances 2022;4:100024. |
R840471 (2023) |
Exit |
|
|
Cifuentes MP, Suarez CM, Cifuentes R, Malod-Dognin N, Windels S, Valderrama JF, Juarez PD, Valdez RB, Colen C, Phillips C, Ramesh A. Big data to knowledge analytics reveals the Zika virus epidemic as only one of multiple factors contributing to a year-over-year 28-fold increase in microcephaly incidence. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2022;19(15):9051. |
R840471 (2023) |
|
|
|
Juarez PD, Ramesh A, Hood DB, Alcendor DJ, Valdez RB, Aramandla MP, Tabatabai M, Matthews-Juarez P, Langston MA, Al-Hamdan MZ, Nori-Sarma A. The effects of air pollution, meteorological parameters, and climate change on COVID-19 comorbidity and health disparities:a systematic review. Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology 2022;4:194-210. |
R840471 (2023) |
|
|
|
Woods-Giscombe CL, Williams KP, Conklin J, Dodd A, Bravo L, Anderson AM, Frazier T, Bey G, Robinson MN, Warren BJ, Wight KD. A scoping review of the concept of resilience among African American women. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing 2023;46:107-120. |
R840471 (2023) |
Exit |
|
|
Stingone JA, Geller AM, Hood DB, Makris KC, Mouton CP, States JC, Sumner SJ, Wu KL, Rajasekar AK. Community-level exposomics:a population-centered approach to address public health concerns. Exposome 2023;3(1):osad009. |
R840471 (2023) |
Exit |
|
|
Valentino AS, Curren C, Baker E, Delgado-Nixon VM, Gregory M, Hood DB, Miracle T, Pfeifle AL, McAuley JW. Personal and collective responsibility for health equity:an interprofessional education program around racism. Journal of Interprofessional Education & Practice 2023;33:100677. |
R840471 (2023) |
Exit |
|
|
Grady SK, Dojcsak L, Harville EW, Wallace ME, Vilda D, Donneyong MM, Hood DB, Valdez RB, Ramesh A, Im W, Matthews-Juarez P. Seminar:scalable preprocessing tools for exposomic data analysis. Environmental Health Perspectives 2023;131(12):124201. |
R840471 (2023) |
|
|
|
Felix AS, Nolan TS, Glover LM, Sims M, Addison D, Smith SA, Anderson CM, Warren BJ, Woods-Giscombe C, Hood DB, Williams KP. The modifying role of resilience on allostatic load and cardiovascular disease risk in the Jackson heart study. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities 2023;10(5):2124-2135. |
R840471 (2023) |
|
|
|
Williams KP, Felix AS, Addison D, Sheppard VB, Sutton AL, Mumma MT, Wansoo IM, Juarez PD. The association between cardiovascular disease and breast and gynecologic cancers among black female patients. Journal of the National Medical Association; 2023;115(5):466-474. |
R840471 (2023) |
Exit |
Progress 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.