Grantee Research Project Results
Leveraging Community Knowledge to Understand and Map the health impacts of cumulative environmental exposures and social vulnerability in the context of climate change
EPA Grant Number: R840485Title: Leveraging Community Knowledge to Understand and Map the health impacts of cumulative environmental exposures and social vulnerability in the context of climate change
Investigators: Hassan, Saria , Saikawa, Eri
Institution: Emory University School of Medicine , Emory University
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Project Period: September 1, 2022 through May 9, 2025
Project Amount: $1,349,998
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
Description:
Provide three subsections addressing: (1) the objectives of the be used (a description of the proposed project), and (3) the expected results (outputs/outcomes) of the project and how it addresses the research needs identified in the solicitation, including the estimated improvement in risk assessment or risk management that will result from successful completion of the proposed work.
Objective:
The goal of this project is to understand how the cumulative health impact of chemical and non-chemical exposures is exacerbated by climate change among the most vulnerable communities in Atlanta. We achieve this goal through the following three objectives: 1. To create an index and map at the neighborhood level focused on the cumulative chemical and non-chemical exposure of individuals in Atlanta and how their health effects are exacerbated by climate change. Hypothesis: Climate change will increase flood frequency, PM2.5 and ozone concentrations, extreme heat days, and exposure to heavy metals/metalloids. 2. To understand how highly susceptible individuals with chronic disease perceive and manage the effects of chemical, non-chemical, and climate-related factors on their mental health, asthma, and obesity-sensitive conditions 3. To facilitate community-based and community-led education initiatives to empower the community and increase resilience against climate change and its effects on health.
Approach:
Objective 1: A novel cumulative health index will combine environmental, social, and health vulnerabilities and we will assess how these vulnerabilities change in the future under various climate change scenarios. Objective 2: We will use a systems science approach -- participatory group model building -- to engage key stakeholders to prioritize indicators affecting the chronic diseases of asthma, mental health, and obesity. Objective 3: We use participatory approaches to conduct community action circles that leverage community knowledge and information generated in Objectives 1 & 2 to build knowledge, educate, and define resilience-generating activities.
Expected Results:
We will create a new index that allows us to better understand how climate change can exacerbate cumulative health impacts from chemical and non-chemical exposures. We will generate causal loop diagrams that depict how these factors interact to influence health outcomes of priority to the community. We will generate public facing multi-media educational information that explain these cumulative health impacts, the effect of climate change, and the increased vulnerability of those with chronic illness. We will generate a policy report that outlines proposed solutions to address these cumulative health impacts. We will publish results in peer-reviewed journals.
Publications and Presentations:
Publications have been submitted on this project: View all 4 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
air, water, soil, global climate, exposure, risk, health effects, vulnerability, cumulative effects, chemicals, community-based, EPA Region 4Progress and Final Reports:
The 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.