Project 1: Multi-Exposure Epidemiology Across the Life Course

项目总结 一些流行病学研究发现，暴露于化学应激源(如 空气污染)和非化学应激源(如温度、噪音、绿地、社会经济地位 [社会经济状况]、种族和民族)和健康结果。然而，这些研究中很少有：1)估计 同时暴露于多种化学应激源对整个生命过程的影响；2) 以非化学应激源和健康的社会决定因素为特征的混杂/影响修正 差距，特别是住房条件和粮食不安全等因素；以及3)调查了 暴露在这些化学应激源下会通过表观遗传修饰影响健康。此外，还有一个 需要新的统计方法来解释曝光、混杂因素、 和相互作用术语，以了解对健康结果的影响。我们已经组装了四个独特的 研究人群，三个在马萨诸塞州联邦(MA)，关于健康结果的数据跨越 从出生到死亡，以及关于健康差距的潜在决定因素的大量信息。在目标1中， 我们将开发创新的统计方法来评估与大量 暴露(化学应激源)，同时也是大量潜在的混杂因素和 互动。在目标2中，我们将评估暴露于多种化学应激源之间的联系 出生结局、儿童生长速度和心血管死亡率。我们将通过以下方式检查效果修改 个人居住水平上的非化学应激源，包括温度、噪音、绿地和 建筑环境(社区可步行)。我们还将研究由丰富的 个人层面的健康差距的社会决定因素(例如，年龄、种族/族裔、社会经济地位)。此外，通过 项目2和3的工作，我们将可以进入可能影响颗粒渗透或 室内热状况和环境健康差距的衡量标准，包括住房、社区、 物质上的困难和社会人口结构的压力。在目标3中，我们将研究是否纵向 表观遗传特征的改变与空气污染暴露有关，以及这些特征是如何被修改的 健康差距的决定因素。这项研究的成功完成将解决以下方面的迫切需要： 1)量化同时暴露于多种化学应激源对健康的影响的方法；2)确定 哪些非化学应激源和健康差距的社会决定因素加剧了这些影响；3) 确定影响的差异；以及4)阐明潜在的潜在生物学机制 环境驱动的健康差距。在成功完成这项工作后所产生的知识 该项目将对缓解环境驱动的健康差距和改善 弱势群体和社区。

PROJECT SUMMARY Several epidemiological studies have found an association between exposure to chemical stressors (such as air pollution) and non-chemical stressors (such as temperature, noise, green space, socioeconomic status [SES], race, and ethnicity), and health outcomes. However, few of these studies have: 1) estimated the health effects across the life course associated with simultaneous exposure to multiple chemical stressors; 2) characterized confounding/effect modification by non-chemical stressors and social determinants of health disparities, particularly factors such as housing conditions and food insecurity; and 3) investigated whether exposure to these chemical stressors can affect health through epigenetic modifications. Moreover, there is a need for new statistical methods that can account for the high dimensionality of the exposures, confounders, and interaction terms in order to understand the effect on health outcomes. We have assembled four unique study populations, three in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (MA), with data on health outcomes spanning from birth to death, as well as a wealth of information on potential determinants of health disparities. In Aim 1, we will develop innovative statistical methods to estimate health effects associated with a large number of exposures (chemical stressors), while also accounting for large number of potential confounders and interactions. In Aim 2, we will estimate the association between exposure to multiple chemical stressors on birth outcomes, childhood growth rates, and cardiovascular mortality. We will examine effect modification by non-chemical stressors at an individual residence level, including temperatures, noise, green space, and the built environment (neighborhood walkability). We will also examine effect modification by a rich host of individual-level social determinants of health disparities (e.g., age, race/ethnicity, SES). In addition, through the work of Projects 2 and 3, we will have access to housing features that may influence particle infiltration or indoor thermal conditions and measures of environmental health disparities , including housing, neighborhood, material hardship, and sociodemographic stressor constructs. In Aim 3, we will study whether longitudinal changes in epigenetic profiles are associated with air pollution exposures, and how these profiles are modified by determinants of health disparities. The successful completion of this study will address the urgent need for: 1) methods to quantify the health effects of simultaneous exposure to multiple chemical stressors; 2) identifying which non-chemical stressors and social determinants of health disparities exacerbate these effects; 3) identifying disparities in effects; and 4) elucidating potential underlying biological mechanism for environmentally driven health disparities. The knowledge produced upon the successful completion of this project will be essential in mitigating environmentally driven health disparities and improving the health of vulnerable populations and communities.