IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i2p795-d482636.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Impact of Environmental Injustice on Children’s Health—Interaction between Air Pollution and Socioeconomic Status

Author

Listed:
  • Sahana Mathiarasan

    (Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA)

  • Anke Hüls

    (Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
    Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA)

Abstract

Air pollution disproportionately affects marginalized populations of lower socioeconomic status. There is little literature on how socioeconomic status affects the risk of exposure to air pollution and associated health outcomes, particularly for children’s health. The objective of this article was to review the existing literature on air pollution and children’s health and discern how socioeconomic status affects this association. The concept of environmental injustice recognizes how underserved communities often suffer from higher air pollution concentrations in addition to other underlying risk factors for impaired health. This exposure then exerts larger effects on their health than it does in the average population, affecting the whole body, including the lungs and the brain. Children, whose organs and mind are still developing and who do not have the means of protecting themselves or creating change, are the most vulnerable to the detrimental effects of air pollution and environmental injustice. The adverse health effects of air pollution and environmental injustice can harm children well into adulthood and may even have transgenerational effects. There is an urgent need for action in order to ensure the health and safety of future generations, as social disparities are continuously increasing, due to social discrimination and climate change.

Suggested Citation

  • Sahana Mathiarasan & Anke Hüls, 2021. "Impact of Environmental Injustice on Children’s Health—Interaction between Air Pollution and Socioeconomic Status," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-10, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:2:p:795-:d:482636
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/2/795/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/2/795/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Juwel Rana & Jalal Uddin & Richard Peltier & Youssef Oulhote, 2019. "Associations between Indoor Air Pollution and Acute Respiratory Infections among Under-Five Children in Afghanistan: Do SES and Sex Matter?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-13, August.
    2. Maria Elisa Di Cicco & Giuliana Ferrante & Doriana Amato & Antonino Capizzi & Carlo De Pieri & Valentina Agnese Ferraro & Maria Furno & Valentina Tranchino & Stefania La Grutta, 2020. "Climate Change and Childhood Respiratory Health: A Call to Action for Paediatricians," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-12, July.
    3. Ford, C.L. & Airhihenbuwa, C.O., 2010. "Critical race theory, race equity, and public health: Toward antiracism praxis," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 100(S1), pages 30-35.
    4. Landi, Stefano & Ivaldi, Enrico & Testi, Angela, 2018. "Socioeconomic status and waiting times for health services: An international literature review and evidence from the Italian National Health System," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 122(4), pages 334-351.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Shereen Elshaer & Lisa J. Martin & Theresa A. Baker & Erin Roberts & Paola Rios-Santiago & Ross Kaufhold & Melinda Butsch Kovacic, 2023. "Environmental Health Knowledge Does Not Necessarily Translate to Action in Youth," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-14, February.
    2. Kevin Lanza & Casey P. Durand & Melody Alcazar & Sierra Ehlers & Kai Zhang & Harold W. Kohl, 2021. "School Parks as a Community Health Resource: Use of Joint-Use Parks by Children before and during COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-14, September.
    3. Séverine Deguen & Mary Amuzu & Valentin Simoncic & Wahida Kihal-Talantikite, 2022. "Exposome and Social Vulnerability: An Overview of the Literature Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-16, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Nicolai Fink Simonsen & Anne Sophie Oxholm & Søren Rud Kristensen & Luigi Siciliani, 2020. "What explains differences in waiting times for health care across socioeconomic status?," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(12), pages 1764-1785, December.
    2. Layland, Eric K. & Maggs, Jennifer L. & Kipke, Michele D. & Bray, Bethany C., 2022. "Intersecting racism and homonegativism among sexual minority men of color: Latent class analysis of multidimensional stigma with subgroup differences in health and sociostructural burdens," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 293(C).
    3. Kathomi Gatwiri & Darlene Rotumah & Elizabeth Rix, 2021. "BlackLivesMatter in Healthcare: Racism and Implications for Health Inequity among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in Australia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-11, April.
    4. Ford, Chandra L. & Airhihenbuwa, Collins O., 2010. "The public health critical race methodology: Praxis for antiracism research," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(8), pages 1390-1398, October.
    5. Lynn N. Ibekwe & Maria Eugenia Fernández-Esquer & Sandi L. Pruitt & Nalini Ranjit & Maria E. Fernández, 2021. "Racism and Cancer Screening among Low-Income, African American Women: A Multilevel, Longitudinal Analysis of 2-1-1 Texas Callers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-19, October.
    6. Slaughter-Acey, Jaime C. & Brown, Tony N. & Keith, Verna M. & Dailey, Rhonda & Misra, Dawn P., 2020. "A tale of two generations: Maternal skin color and adverse birth outcomes in Black/African American women," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).
    7. Maria Alessandra Antonelli & Giorgia Marini, 2023. "Good health with good institutions. An empirical analysis for italian regions," Public Finance Research Papers 61, Istituto di Economia e Finanza, DSGE, Sapienza University of Rome.
    8. Came, Heather, 2014. "Sites of institutional racism in public health policy making in New Zealand," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 214-220.
    9. Belak, Andrej & Filakovska Bobakova, Daniela & Madarasova Geckova, Andrea & van Dijk, Jitse P. & Reijneveld, Sijmen A., 2020. "Why don't health care frontline professionals do more for segregated Roma? Exploring mechanisms supporting unequal care practices," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 246(C).
    10. Scott, Darius, 2022. "Uncaring landscapes and HIV peer support in the rural Southern United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 292(C).
    11. Gomez-Vidal, Cristina & Gomez, Anu Manchikanti, 2021. "Invisible and unequal: Unincorporated community status as a structural determinant of health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 285(C).
    12. Hicken, Margaret T. & Kravitz-Wirtz, Nicole & Durkee, Myles & Jackson, James S., 2018. "Racial inequalities in health: Framing future research," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 11-18.
    13. Akinade, Temitope & Kheyfets, Anna & Piverger, Naissa & Layne, Tracy M. & Howell, Elizabeth A. & Janevic, Teresa, 2023. "The influence of racial-ethnic discrimination on women's health care outcomes: A mixed methods systematic review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 316(C).
    14. Smith-Morris, Carolyn, 2017. "Epidemiological placism in public health emergencies: Ebola in two Dallas neighborhoods," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 106-114.
    15. Óscar Brito Fernandes & Armin Lucevic & Márta Péntek & Dionne Kringos & Niek Klazinga & László Gulácsi & Zsombor Zrubka & Petra Baji, 2021. "Self-Reported Waiting Times for Outpatient Health Care Services in Hungary: Results of a Cross-Sectional Survey on a National Representative Sample," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-14, February.
    16. Pam Phojanakong & Emily Brown Weida & Gabriella Grimaldi & Félice Lê-Scherban & Mariana Chilton, 2019. "Experiences of Racial and Ethnic Discrimination Are Associated with Food Insecurity and Poor Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(22), pages 1-13, November.
    17. Christine A. Yee & Aaron Legler & Michael Davies & Julia Prentice & Steven Pizer, 2020. "Priority access to health care: Evidence from an exogenous policy shock," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(3), pages 306-323, March.
    18. Drona P. Rasali & Brendan M. Woodruff & Fatima A. Alzyoud & Daniel Kiel & Katharine T. Schaffzin & William D. Osei & Chandra L. Ford & Shanthi Johnson, 2024. "Cross-Disciplinary Rapid Scoping Review of Structural Racial and Caste Discrimination Associated with Population Health Disparities in the 21st Century," Societies, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-24, September.
    19. Laia Bosque‐Mercader & Neus Carrilero & Anna García‐Altés & Guillem López‐Casasnovas & Luigi Siciliani, 2023. "Socioeconomic inequalities in waiting times for planned and cancer surgery: Evidence from Spain," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(5), pages 1181-1201, May.
    20. Martin, Steve & Siciliani, Luigi & Smith, Peter, 2020. "Socioeconomic inequalities in waiting times for primary care across ten OECD countries," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 263(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:2:p:795-:d:482636. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.