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Early-Life Air Pollution Exposure, Neighborhood Poverty, and Childhood Asthma in the United States, 1990–2014

Author

Listed:
  • Nicole Kravitz-Wirtz

    (Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA)

  • Samantha Teixeira

    (School of Social Work, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA)

  • Anjum Hajat

    (Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA)

  • Bongki Woo

    (School of Social Work, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA)

  • Kyle Crowder

    (Department of Sociology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA)

  • David Takeuchi

    (School of Social Work, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA)

Abstract

Ambient air pollution is a well-known risk factor of various asthma-related outcomes, however, past research has often focused on acute exacerbations rather than asthma development. This study draws on a population-based, multigenerational panel dataset from the United States to assess the association of childhood asthma risk with census block-level, annual-average air pollution exposure measured during the prenatal and early postnatal periods, as well as effect modification by neighborhood poverty. Findings suggest that early-life exposures to nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), a marker of traffic-related pollution, and fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ), a mixture of industrial and other pollutants, are positively associated with subsequent childhood asthma diagnosis (OR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.10–1.41 and OR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.06–1.46, respectively, per interquartile range (IQR) increase in each pollutant (NO 2 IQR = 8.51 ppb and PM 2.5 IQR = 4.43 µ/m 3 )). These effects are modified by early-life neighborhood poverty exposure, with no or weaker effects in moderate- and low- (versus high-) poverty areas. This work underscores the importance of a holistic, developmental approach to elucidating the interplay of social and environmental contexts that may create conditions for racial-ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in childhood asthma risk.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicole Kravitz-Wirtz & Samantha Teixeira & Anjum Hajat & Bongki Woo & Kyle Crowder & David Takeuchi, 2018. "Early-Life Air Pollution Exposure, Neighborhood Poverty, and Childhood Asthma in the United States, 1990–2014," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-14, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:15:y:2018:i:6:p:1114-:d:149717
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    Cited by:

    1. Acolin, Jessica & Fishman, Paul, 2023. "Beyond the biomedical, towards the agentic: A paradigm shift for population health science," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 326(C).

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