Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39019634›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2024

Assessing environmental injustice in Kansas City by linking paediatric asthma to local sources of pollution: a cross-sectional study.

Elizabeth Friedman, Brian R Lee, David Rahn, Beto Lugo Martinez, Atenas Mena

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Article in BMJ open, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Elizabeth FriedmanUniversity of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, Missouri, USA efriedman@cmh.edu.ORCID 0000-0002-3740-635X
Brian R LeeChildren's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, Kansas City, Missouri, USA.
David RahnUniversity of Kansas College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Lawrence, Kansas, USA.
Beto Lugo MartinezRISE4EJ, Kansas City, Missouri, USA.
Atenas MenaVibrant Health, Kansas City, Missouri, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveA grassroots environmental-justice organisation in Kansas City has been examining the disproportionate exposure to air pollution experienced by residents living fenceline to the largest classification railyard in the USA. Prior analyses showed limited increased risk for asthma exacerbation for patients with asthma living closer to toxic release inventory (TRI) facilities and railyards. In this study, we assessed geographical asthma and environmental disparities, to further explore community-level disparities.

designThis is a cross-sectional study of population-level asthma rates, which included rates for all asthma encounters and acute asthma encounters (urgent care, emergency department, inpatient admission). Distances from census-tract centroids to nearest TRI facilities, railyards and highways were calculated. The association between asthma rates and distances was examined using Kendall's τ correlation and multivariable Poisson regression models.

settingWe used electronic medical record data from the regional paediatric hospital, census and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) air monitoring data.

participantsPatients with 2+ asthma encounters during the EPA study timeframe were identified.

resultsResidential distance from railyards exhibited a significant negative correlation with overall (-0.36 (CI -0.41 to -0.32)) and acute (-0.27 (CI -0.32 to -0.22)) asthma rates. Asthma rates were elevated among tracts north of the closest railyard (incident rate ratio: 1.38; CI 1.35 to 1.41) when compared with southern directionality. An increased distance from the nearest railyard of 3 km was associated with a decrease in overall asthma rates of 26%.

conclusionSignificant negative associations between proximity to all pollution source types and asthma rates were observed. This community-level research has served as a tool for community engagement and will be used to support proposed local policy. Environmental justice work addresses local concerns involving small, limited datasets, if the data exist at all. The academic epidemiological platform may reconsider acceptable approaches to small population research in order to better serve communities with the most need.

Indexed as

Air PollutionAsthmaEnvironmental ExposureAdolescentAir PollutantsChildChild, PreschoolCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansKansasMaleSocial JusticeAir PollutantsPAEDIATRICSPREVENTIVE MEDICINEPUBLIC HEALTH

Identifiers

PMID39019634
PMCPMC11256072

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.