Particulate Matter Exposure and Childhood Asthma Prevalence

描述（由申请人提供）：儿童哮喘是一个重要的公共卫生问题，占大多数学校缺课和重大的直接和间接健康成本。暴露于空气污染与心脏和呼吸系统健康之间存在明显的联系。空气中颗粒物（悬浮在气体中的固体或液体微小颗粒）水平的增加与哮喘加重有关。然而，尚不清楚儿童哮喘的流行是否可归因于空气污染。我们假设，颗粒物暴露是芝加哥社区儿童哮喘患病率差异的原因。芝加哥提高哮喘健康公平倡议（CHIRAH）在学龄儿童中进行的一项横断面调查确定了社区哮喘患病率。我们的初步数据表明，种族和社会经济地位并不能完全解释邻里儿童哮喘患病率的差异。多种族动脉粥样硬化研究（MESA）空气辅助研究对芝加哥和其他美国城市长期环境空气污染暴露与亚临床心血管疾病进展的个体水平评估进行了研究。MESA Air有超过50个监视器与CHIRAH感兴趣的地理区域重叠，并有多个交通数据来源。将这些研究的数据联系起来，可以对近5万名儿童的家庭和学校的颗粒物和交通暴露情况进行估计。我们的目标是确定芝加哥个别儿童家庭和学校的颗粒物水平是否与哮喘患病率有关。我们将研究交通相关暴露是否与哮喘患病率有关，如儿童住宅和学校靠近主要道路。我们将在控制个人和社区混杂因素（年龄、体重指数、性别、种族/民族、教育程度、患有哮喘的家庭成员和社区收入）的情况下估计颗粒物浓度和交通暴露。这条调查路线将使我获得使用主要流行病学数据的经验，并扩大我对空气污染如何影响呼吸系统健康的理解，从而促进我的职业发展。公共卫生相关性：哮喘患病率的上升及其经济负担引起了重大的公共卫生关注。更好地了解接触颗粒物质与儿童哮喘之间的关系，将直接为可能影响这种疾病的预防措施提供信息。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Childhood asthma is a significant public health problem accounting for the majority of school absences and significant direct and indirect health costs. There is a clear association between exposure to air pollution and cardiac and respiratory health. Increases in airborne particulate matter (tiny particles of solid or liquid suspended in a gas) levels are associated with asthma exacerbations. It is unknown, however, whether childhood asthma prevalence is attributable to air pollution. We hypothesize that particulate matter exposure accounts for differences in childhood asthma prevalence in Chicago neighborhoods. A cross- sectional survey administered by the Chicago Initiative to Raise Asthma Health Equity (CHIRAH) among school-aged children determined neighborhood asthma prevalence rates. Our preliminary data indicate that race and socioeconomic status do not fully explain differences between neighborhood childhood asthma prevalence rates. The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) Air Ancillary Study examines individual-level assessment of long-term ambient air pollution exposures to progression of subclinical cardiovascular disease in Chicago and other US cities. MESA Air has greater than 50 monitors overlapping with the CHIRAH geographic region of interest and multiple sources of traffic data. Linkage of data from these studies allow for estimation of particulate matter and traffic exposure at the homes and schools of nearly 50,000 children. We aim to determine if particulate matter levels at individual children's home and schools in Chicago are associated with asthma prevalence. We will examine if traffic-related exposures as indicated by children's residential and school proximity to major roadways are associated with asthma prevalence. We will estimate particulate matter concentrations and traffic exposure controlling for personal and neighborhood confounders (age, BMI, sex, race/ethnicity, education, household members with asthma, and neighborhood income). This line of investigation will enhance my career development by allowing me to gain experience using primary epidemiologic data and expand my understanding of how air pollution affects respiratory health. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The rise in asthma prevalence and its economic burden present a significant public health concern. A better understanding of the relationship between exposure to particulate matter and childhood asthma will directly inform preventive measures that may impact this disease.