Grantee Research Project Results
2019 Progress Report: Center for Research on Environmental and Social Stressors in Housing across the Life Course
EPA Grant Number: R836156Center: Health Effects Institute (2015 - 2020)
Center Director: Greenbaum, Daniel S.
Title: Center for Research on Environmental and Social Stressors in Housing across the Life Course
Investigators: Laden, Francine , Adamkiewicz, Gary , Levy, Jonathan , Zanobetti, Antonella , Scammell, Madeleine Kangsen , Sprengler, John D , Fabian, Maria Patricia , Lane, Kevin J
Institution: Harvard University , Boston University
EPA Project Officer: Callan, Richard
Project Period: July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2020 (Extended to June 30, 2021)
Project Period Covered by this Report: July 1, 2018 through June 30,2019
Project Amount: $1,500,000
RFA: NIH/EPA Centers of Excellence on Environmental Health Disparities Research (2015) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Human Health
Objective:
Environmental health disparities (EHDs) are based on a combination of factors, including sociodemographic and spatial patterns of exposures to chemical and non-chemical stressors. While this phenomenon is well recognized, the methods to characterize and ultimately mitigate EHDs have been lacking. We are conducting innovative interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary studies spanning epidemiology, exposure science, risk assessment, and quantitative disparities analysis, with strong community engagement. We are examining multiple health outcomes across the life course, operating within our Center's targeted low-income communities (Chelsea and Dorchester) as well as across Massachusetts (MA). Our projects are synergistic and interdependent, ensuring meaningful collective insights into EHDs. Our Center's project and core aims are:
Project 1: Health Effects Across the Life course (HEAL) Study
1) develop innovative methods to estimate health effects associated with multiple chemical stressor exposures, accounting for large numbers of potential confounders and interactions; and 2) estimate the complex interactions of exposures to multiple chemical stressors with non-chemical stressors and social determinants of health disparities on birth outcomes, growth rates, and cardiovascular mortality.
Project 2: Home-based Observation Monitoring Exposure (HOME) Study
1) use portable, real-time monitoring devices to estimate indoor exposures to multiple chemical stressors, noise, and thermal comfort; 2) determine how resident behaviors and housing characteristics affect indoor-outdoor associations of chemical and non-chemical stressors; and 3) use community-based crowdsourcing approaches to assess housing and household characteristics to develop season-specific determinants that predict ventilation characteristics.
Project 3: Mapping Spatial Patterns in Environmental Health Disparities (MAP-EHD) Study
1) characterize disparities in exposure to chemical and non-chemical stressors across MA; 2) develop and evaluate multivariable chemical and non-chemical stressor constructs to better characterize exposures hypothesized to be related to EHDs; and 3) develop models of cumulative risk for multiple health outcomes in our two target communities, including quantified health benefits and changes in EHDs associated with simulated interventions.
Community Engagement Core (CEC)
1) design, implement, and evaluate training for community residents to participate in research conducted as part of Project 2; 2) evaluate and inform Project 3 chemical and nonchemical stressor constructs, stressor exposure models, and microdata simulation constraint variables; and 3) develop culturally appropriate educational materials that translate the aims and findings of research from Projects 1, 2, and 3 to improve environmental health literacy while reducing risk.
Pilot Project Program
1) support EHD research in new and emerging topic areas within the two target communities; 2) support the application of methods and approaches to address EHDs across a wide range of underserved communities in the United States; and 3) provide seed funding that allows junior investigators the chance to maximize opportunities for independent funding.
Administrative Core
1) provide administrative infrastructure necessary to coordinate activities among projects and facilitate interactions with EPA, NIH, and other Centers; 2) monitor the productivity and resources of the Center to ensure that stated objectives are met; 3) assemble advisory committees, organize regular meetings, and ensure implementation of recommendations; 4) provide mentoring and career development opportunities for the Center's Career Development Investigators (CDI); 5) connect Center investigators with the wider EHD communities across universities; and 6) provide platforms for disseminating research findings.
Progress Summary:
Project 1: Health Effects Across the Life course (HEAL) Study
To date, we have performed several epidemiologic analyses using birth data from Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), mortality data from MDPH, and Boston Children's HealthWatch (CHW) data. Five manuscripts have been recently submitted, focusing on associations of birth weight with exposures to PM2.5 and PM2.5 constituents, birth weight with residential greenness during pregnancy, and mortality with PM2.5 considering potential modification by SES and greenness. There are four manuscripts in preparation. Three focus on birth weight, assessing associations with neighborhood SES, combined environmental and built environment exposures, and homelessness and nutrition programs. The fourth assesses associations of prenatal and postnatal air pollution exposures with early childhood weight growth trajectories.
Project 2: Home-based Observation Monitoring Exposure (HOME) Study
Dorchester recruitment extended into January of 2019 (N=78), during which bi-weekly calls continued with the CEC and Health Resources in Action. Recruitment efforts expanded to include flyer distribution and personal conversations with residents across Dorchester. Data collection for the second season of remaining participants continues, with 16 (of 33) participants completed (N=32 visits). This includes Dr. Dayna Johnson's pilot program funding, which met its goal of 26 Dorchester participants (total N=50). Her NIH K Award focusing on black or African American participants recruited an additional 15 participants (N=27).
Outdoor data collection continues in Dorchester, with a second device set up at 380 Talbot Street in February 2018. Outdoor devices are monitored weekly and post-field sampling checks for indoor air monitors, which include recalibration of gas sensors (CO, CO2, NO, NO2) with co-located sensors in the lab and sensor drift checks, occur approximately every four months.
Chelsea indoor and outdoor PM2.5 and NO2 averages by date for each season per participant were processed and shared with the CEC in February 2018. We assisted in planning and coordination of the Chelsea Community (report back) meeting (August 13, 2018.)
Detailed data cleaning and QA/QC is complete for all Chelsea data, including a detailed codebook for surveys and assessment tools. A data processing document has been created for Qualtrics (survey data), pollutant (PM2.5, CO, CO2, NO, NO2), and NetAtmo weather station data (temp, relative humidity & noise).
Human subject compliance is up to date and manuscript development is underway. Gillooly et al. 2019 was published (see below) and NIEHS selected it as one of the extramural papers of the month. Three additional publications are in preparation. They focus on drivers of NO2 concentrations in indoor air, real-time monitoring of PM2.5, and report-back of indoor air pollution exposures.
Project 3: Mapping Spatial Patterns in Environmental Health Disparities (MAP-EHD) Study
In Year 4, we have continued our work expanding the geographical database, adding heat vulnerability index, built environment metrics, higher resolution remote sensing greenness databases, public housing characteristics, and crime data.
A large focus this year has been collaborating with researchers in the HEAL project to develop multivariable epidemiologic models that incorporate both chemical and non-chemical stressors, including constructs developed in the MAP-EHD project. These models will be used to estimate health risk changes in Dorchester and Chelsea. This has resulted in one publication (Yitshak-Sade et al.) and three more in preparation.
We have started building synthetic populations for Chelsea and Dorchester, tailoring the populations to fit sociodemographic characteristics, chemical and non-chemical risk factors identified in epidemiological models within the HEAL project.
We have published one manuscript using the community health center accessibility construct to compare changes in accessibility after health center expansion (Evans et al.). We have also submitted a manuscript describing our photo survey methods, and have final drafts of manuscripts describing a land use regression model of land surface temperature and a disparities analysis of air pollution across segregation indexes.
Additionally, we have met with parties interested in using the geographical disparities database for other analyses, including the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the Massachusetts Environmental Health Tracking Program. We are currently developing a webinar with the CRESSH Community Engagement Core to disseminate the database and constructs we have developed in the last years.
Community Engagement Core (CEC)
Over the past year, the CEC continued to work with the HOME Study and Health Resources in Action to finish recruitment of a diverse sample of study participants in Dorchester.
The CEC has also been working the HEAL and MAP-EHD projects to develop strategies to share the data and results of each project. The CEC has met with investigators and CHW to better understand study results and brainstorm ways to communicate results to relevant stakeholders and to share data constructs.
We continue to maintain CRESSH's website for translating our work to other researchers, public health agencies, and NGOs, including community partners and residents. Nine newsletters have been sent out across the life of the Center (four this year), reporting updates on each project and core as well as community partner news. We also maintain the CRESSH Twitter account. We completed the report back of individual NO2 and PM2.5 results to HOME Study participants in Chelsea. We carried out a two-step report back process that including individualized report back packets mailed to each participant, and a community meeting hosted by GreenRoots at which we presented aggregate findings. We developed 71 packets (45 English and 27 Spanish) containing daily indoor and outdoor pollutant concentrations. The entire report back process was evaluated to assess if the information was understandable, increased environmental health literacy, and/or motivated any participants to take action to reduce their exposures.
The CEC also continues to work with GreenRoots to carry out a project aimed at characterizing the predictive value of street tree damage for identifying natural gas leaks in response to community concerns regarding gas leaks throughout Chelsea.
Pilot Project Program
A request for Pilot Project applications was posted on the CRESSH website and sent to all Center investigators at BUSPH, Chan School and CEC partners. Our emphasis for Year 4 application was on activities that would lead to new grant opportunities. Four proposals were received and two were awarded: CRESSH Built Environment Deep Learning Algorithms for Massachusetts (CRESSH-BEDLAM) Study (Awardee: Dr. Peter James) and Children's Health and Growth and Family Material Hardships in three US cities (Awardee: Children's HealthWatch)
Past Pilot Program awardee updates: Dr. Johnson received funding (Yr2) to understand individual and environmental stressors on sleep. She continues to measure sleep in HOME study participants across 7-days using actigraphy and is investigating the contribution of environmental measures to insufficient sleep. Preliminary data analyses (N=65) revealed that sleep deficiency was common and uncomfortable temperatures were reported as barriers to initiating or maintaining sleep.
Dr. Diana Ceballos received funding (Yr2) to assess the role of occupation on home exposures. She developed an educational session to prevent lead and other contaminants from unintentional transfer from work to home. For 22 workers exam grades increased to 96% after training, from 79% before training. Dr. Ceballos plans to use the training to develop future interventions to help reduce contaminants at home.
Dr. Sara Wylie received funding (Yr3) to develop community based visceral data performances for cross-disciplinary collaboration on environmental justice in Chelsea. Performances express the complex social, health and environmental justice issues associated with the local oil storage facilities, including the supply chain connecting to these facilities, facility environmental monitoring data, and social statistics on Chelsea resident demographics, health, and employment. She has completed analysis of available Enforcement and Compliance History Online data (for EPA regulated facilities), prototyped a floating lantern and "SeeBoat" with a control board and is investigating the EPA algorithm for "significant violations." The project has also completed six weeks of summer work with ECO and received $6,000 of internal Northeastern University support for summer research assistants who evaluated learning through data performances and citizen science.
Administrative Core
The Administrative Core continued to coordinate monthly Executive Committee (EC) meetings. On May 31, 2018, the Core hosted an Advisory Board Meeting. Three (of six) Internal Steering Committee (ISC), all five External Advisory Board (EAB)members, Executive Committee members (research project and core PIs), other project investigators, community partners, and study team members attended (35 in person and 2 remotely, N=37). Each project/core presented three, 5-minute talks around study highlights followed by guiding questions for the board. Board members then met to discuss and formulate responses after each block of presentations.
A Center-wide internal data-sharing document was created, allowing team members to see data available across all projects, and it was added to the CRESSH Google drive for easy updates and review across the team. The Publication Planning document on the same drive is updated as papers progress.
The ISC includes senior leadership at both universities. Dr. Alexandra Shields was not able to fulfill her role on the board as expected, however Ms. Gina McCarthy, Prof. of the Practice of Public Health at Chan School in the Department of Environmental Health and Former Director of the Environmental Protection Agency, agreed to join the board on July 2018. The next joint ISC/ EAB meeting is scheduled for May 28, 2019.
In addition, the NIH-EPA Environmental Health Disparities Centers Annual Grantees Meeting took place in Baltimore, MD on January 24 & 25. Fifteen CRESSH team members attended, many of whom participated in a presentation around Center highlights. We also presented seven posters at the meeting.
Future Activities:
Project 1: Health Effects Across the Life course (HEAL) Study
Project 1 will: 1) finalize and submit papers as described above, 2) incorporate the infiltration index developed in MAP-EHD as an exposure modifier and predictor of mortality, 3) continue working on analysis in CHW, specifically focusing on social stressors, immigrant status, and air pollution and weight growth trajectories and birth weight.
Project 2: Home-based Observation Monitoring Exposure (HOME) Study
Project 2 will: 1) complete study data collection, 2) finalize cleaning and QA/QC of Dorchester survey and indoor/outdoor exposure assessment data, 3) prepare Dorchester PM2.5 and NO2 data with CEC for participant report backs, 4) run data analyses on Chelsea/Dorchester data and continue manuscript development, 5) assist in coordination and execution of the Dorchester Community meeting and 6) develop manuscript submissions across the project.
Project 3: Mapping Spatial Patterns in Environmental Health Disparities (MAP-EHD) Study
Project 3 will: 1) estimate changes in health risks (mortality, birth weight and child growth) by linking the HEAL epidemiology models with the Chelsea and Dorchester synthetic population data, 2) finish and submit the various epidemiology, disparities and health risk manuscripts and 3) continue data sharing and outreach activities.
Community Engagement Core (CEC)
The CEC will: 1) continue working with community partners between the HOME Study data collection periods to keep the communities engaged and provide necessary resources regarding health disparities in housing, 2) with the help of HRiA and CHW, develop partnerships with city managers, inspectional services and housing authorities to disseminate our research and advocate for a healthier Dorchester beyond the timeline of our projects, 3) finalize HOME study report back manuscript and finish analyzing the evaluation results for the HOME Study report back in Chelsea, 4) use the evaluation results from Chelsea and work with Dorchester community groups to revise the report back process for the Dorchester HOME Study participants once data collection is complete, 5) work to measure and analyze subterranean gas concentrations in Chelsea, 6) host a webinar to share MAP-EHD data constructs with other researchers as well as relevant policy and advocacy stakeholders, 7) host a series of meetings with community groups who may have use for or interest in the MAP-EHD data constructs to establish data sharing relationships, and 8) work with HEAL and CHW to develop a policy brief outlining the main findings pertaining to birth weight outcomes and identify key stakeholders who may benefit from hearing about those results as well as methods to effectively communicate with those stakeholders.
Pilot Project Program
The Pilot Program will: 1) monitor progress from Year 4 awarded pilot projects and 2) maintain communication and progress as needed with Year 2 & 3 awardees.
Administrative Core
In the next year, the Administrative Core will: 1) continue to provide administrative infrastructure to coordinate activities across research projects, 2) monitor productivity and resources of the Center and its subcomponents, 3) provide mentoring and career development for Center CDIs and other early-stage investigators, 4) provide coordination and communication with advisory boards and funding agencies, 5) connect Center activities with related efforts at both universities and other EHD Centers, 6) provide platform for disseminating research findings and 7) lead discussions about future grant planning across the Center.
Journal Articles: 27 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
Other center views: | All 92 publications | 27 publications in selected types | All 27 journal articles |
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Antonelli J, Han B, Cefalu M. A synthetic estimator for the efficacy of clinical trials with all-or-nothing compliance. Statistics in Medicine 2017;36(29):4604-4615. |
R836156 (2018) R836156 (2020) |
Exit Exit |
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Antonelli J, Papadogeorgou G, Dominici F. Causal inference in high dimensions:A marriage between Bayesian modeling and good frequentist properties. BIOMETRICS 2022;78(1):100-114. |
R836156 (Final) R835872 (2020) |
Exit Exit |
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Chen F, Chen J, Hart J, Coull B, Scammell M, Chu M, Adamkiewica G. Disparities in joint exposure to environmental and social stressors in urban households in Greater Boston. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023;238(1):11710. |
R836156 (Final) |
Exit |
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Chu M, Gillooly S, Levy J, Vallarino J, Reyna L, Laurent J, Coull B, Adamkiewicz G. Real-time indoor PM2.5 monitoring in an urban cohort:Implications for exposure disparities and source control. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021;193(110561). |
R836156 (Final) R835872 (2020) |
Exit Exit |
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Fong KC, Hart JE, James P. A review of epidemiologic studies on greenness and health:updated literature through 2017. Current Environmental Health Reports 2018;5(1):77-87. |
R836156 (2018) R836156 (2019) R836156 (2020) |
Exit |
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Jhun I, Mata DA, Nordio F, Lee M, Schwartz J, Zanobetti A. Ambient temperature and sudden infant death syndrome in the United States. Epidemiology 2017;28(5):728-734. |
R836156 (2017) R836156 (2018) R836156 (2020) |
Exit Exit |
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Levy JI, Quiros-Alcala L, Fabian MP, Basra K, Hansel NN. Established and emerging environmental contributors to disparities in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Current Epidemiology Reports 2018;5(2):114-124. |
R836156 (2018) R836156 (2019) R836156 (2020) R836150 (2019) R836150 (2020) R836152 (2018) R836152 (2019) R836152 (2020) |
Exit |
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Nethery R, Dominici F. Factors affecting lead Dust in construction workers' homes in the Greater Boston Area. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021;195(110510). |
R836156 (Final) |
Exit Exit |
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Rosofsky A, Levy JI, Zanobetti A, Janulewicz P, Fabian MP. Temporal trends in air pollution exposure inequality in Massachusetts. Environmental Research 2018;161:76-86. |
R836156 (2018) R836156 (2020) |
Exit Exit Exit |
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Rosofsky A, Levy JI, Breen MS, Zanobetti A, Fabian MP. The impact of air exchange rate on ambient air pollution exposure and inequalities across all residential parcels in Massachusetts. Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology 2019;29(4):520-530. |
R836156 (2019) R836156 (2020) |
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Tomosho K, Polka E, Chacker S, Queeley D, Alvarez M, Scammell M, Emmons K, Rudd R, Adamkiewicz G. A process for creating data report-back tools to improve equity in environmental health. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH 2022;21(1). |
R836156 (Final) |
Exit Exit |
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Wang Y, Shi L, Lee M, Liu P, Di Q, Zanobetti A, Schwartz JD. Long-term exposure to PM2.5 and mortality among older adults in the Southeastern US. Epidemiology 2017;28(2):207-214. |
R836156 (2017) R836156 (2020) R835872 (2016) R835872 (2017) |
Exit |
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Wei Y, Wang Y, Wu X, Di Q, Shi L, Koutrakis P, Zanobetti A, Dominici F, Schwartz J. Causal Effects of Air Pollution on Mortality Rate in Massachusetts. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY 2020;189(11):1316-1323. |
R836156 (Final) R835872 (2020) |
Exit Exit |
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Wei Y, Coull B, Koutrakis P, Yang J, Li L, Zanobetti A, Schowatz J. Assessing additive effects of air pollutants on mortality rate in Massachusetts. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH 2021;20(1):19. |
R836156 (Final) R835872 (2020) |
Exit Exit |
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Zigler CM, Choirat C, Dominici F. Impact of National Ambient Air Quality Standards nonattainment designations on particulate pollution and health. Epidemiology 2018;29(2):165-174. |
R836156 (2018) R836156 (2020) R835872 (2016) |
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Antonelli J, Cefalu M, Palmer N, Agniel D. Doubly robust matching estimators for high dimensional confounding adjustment. Biometrics 2018;74(4):1171-1179. |
R836156 (2019) R836156 (2020) |
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Zanobetti A, O’Neill MS. Longer-term outdoor temperatures and health effects:a review. Current Epidemiology Reports 2018;5(2):125-139. |
R836156 (2019) R836156 (2020) R835872 (2018) |
Exit |
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Wilson A, Zigler CM, Patel CJ, Dominici F. Model‐averaged confounder adjustment for estimating multivariate exposure effects with linear regression. Biometrics 2018;74(3):1034-1044. |
R836156 (2019) R836156 (2020) R835872 (2017) |
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Fong K, Kloog I, Coull B, Koutrakis P, Laden F, Schwartz J, James P. Residential greenness and birthweight in the state of Massachusetts, USA. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2018;15(6):1248. |
R836156 (2019) R836156 (2020) R835872 (2018) |
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Gillooly SE, Zhou Y, Vallarino J, Chu MT, Michanowicz DR, Levy JI, Adamkiewicz G. Development of an in-home, real-time air pollutant sensor platform and implications for community use. Environmental Pollution 2019;244:440-450. |
R836156 (2019) R836156 (2020) |
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Rhee J, Fabian MP, Ettinger de Cuba S, Coleman S, Sandel M, Lane KJ, Yitshak Sade M, Hart JE, Schwartz J, Kloog I, Laden F. Effects of maternal homelessness, supplemental nutrition programs, and prenatal PM2.5 on birthweight. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2019;16(21):4154. |
R836156 (2020) R835872 (2019) |
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Nethery RC, Mealli F, Dominici F. Estimating population average causal effects in the presence of non-overlap:the effect of natural gas compressor station exposure on cancer mortality. The Annals of Applied Statistics 2019;13(2):1242-1267. |
R836156 (2019) R836156 (2020) R835872 (2019) |
Exit |
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Antonelli J, Parmigiani G, Dominici F. High-dimensional confounding adjustment using continuous spike and slab priors. Bayesian Analysis 2019;14(3):805-828. |
R836156 (2020) R835872 (2019) |
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Petropoulos Z, Levy J, Scammell M, Fabian MP. Characterizing community-wide housing attributes using georeferenced street-level photography. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 2020;30(2):299-308. |
R836156 (2020) |
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Rosofsky AS, Fabian MP, Ettinger de Cuba S, Sandel M, Coleman S, Levy JI, Coull BA, Hart JE, Zanobetti A. Prenatal Ambient Particulate Matter Exposure and Longitudinal Weight Growth Trajectories in Early Childhood. International journal of environmental research and public health 2020;17(4):1444. |
R836156 (2020) |
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Fong KC, Yitshak-Sade M, Lane KJ, Fabian MP, Kloog I, Schwartz JD, Coull BA, Koutrakis P, Hart JE, Laden F, Zanobetti A. Racial Disparities in Associations between Neighborhood Demographic Polarization and Birth Weight. International journal of environmental research and public health 2020;17(9):3076. |
R836156 (2020) |
Exit |
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Qiu X, Wei Y, Weisskopf M, Spiro A, Shi L, Castro E, Coull B, Koutrakis P and Schwartz J. Air pollution, climate conditions and risk of hospital admissions for psychotic disorders in U.S. residents. Environ Res 2023; 216(Pt 2):114636. |
R836156 (Final) |
Exit |
Supplemental Keywords:
fine particulate matter; nitrogen dioxide; air pollution; temperature; housing; cumulative risk; birth weight; mortalityRelevant Websites:
Center for Research on Environmental and Social Stressors in Housing Across the Life Course (CRESSH) Exit
Progress and Final Reports:
Original Abstract Subprojects under this Center: (EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
R836156C001 Multi-Exposure Epidemiology across the Life Course
R836156C002 Exposure Disparities Related to Resident Behavior and Housing Characteristics
R836156C003 Cumulative Risk and Geospatial Health Disparities Related to Chemical and Non-Chemical Stressor Exposures
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.
Project Research Results
- Final Report
- 2020 Progress Report
- 2018 Progress Report
- 2017 Progress Report
- 2016 Progress Report
- Original Abstract
27 journal articles for this center