Co-Directors: Sara Grineski, Ph.D. and Victor Cardenas, M.D., Ph.D.
Co-Investigators: Hector Olvera, Ph.D.; Timothy Collins, Ph.D.
Purpose:
To expand the scope of the HDDRC, by clarifying and addressing determinants of environmental health disparities for heterogeneous Mexican-origin and Hispanic populations through research, capacity building, and translational activities. The new EC will build upon the expertise and experience of UTEP/UTSPH faculty in environmental, social, and health sciences.
As the only thematic Core, the EC is designed to link with each HHDRC Core. The EC will direct 2 studies, build research and training capacity, engage community constituents to determine how best to translate results into practice, and achieve sustainability into the future.
Specific Aims:
- Conduct research to evaluate complex interactions between social, built and natural environmental systems, while clarifying which aspects of Mexican-origin/Hispanic status are most important as determinants of environmental health disparities;
- Build research and training capacities to examine and address environmental health disparities; and 3. Facilitate the translation of environmental health disparities research into policy, public health practice, and community-based engagement.
Core Activities:
The EC will conduct two complementary transdisciplinary studies during the 18 month revision. These studies, building directly on previous research by project investigators, will advance knowledge of determinants of environmental health disparities in MO/Hispanic populations and form the basis of future efforts.
Transdisciplinary Study 1: Social, built and natural environmental determinants of children’s lung health – a multilevel examination – is a multilevel modeling study examining the individual- and neighborhood-level contributions to disparities in children’s lung health. It relies on the collection of primary social survey and air quality monitoring data and the integration of census data. Drs. Grineski, Olvera, Collins and Ford will lead the study.
The Aims of this study are to:
- Determine the multilevel contributions of Hispanic heterogeneity to lung health among children living in El Paso, adjusting for SES, indoor environment, and ambient air quality
- Determine whether risks to children’s lung health associated with individual-level Hispanic heterogeneity status, SES, and indoor environment are modified by neighborhood-level ambient air quality
- Determine whether risks to children’s lung health associated with individual-level SES, Hispanic heterogeneity status, indoor environment, and neighborhood-level ambient air quality are modified by neighborhood deprivation and neighborhood acculturation
Transdisciplinary Study 2: Social attributes, including Hispanic ethnicity, as effect modifiers in the relationship between pollution and health – a temporal examination – uses temporal modeling techniques (i.e., case crossover design) to examine how patient characteristics (related to Hispanic ethnicity, among other attributes) modify the relationship between air pollution and respiratory and cardiovascular hospitalizations. It relies on hospitalization and air quality monitoring data. Drs. Staniswalis, Grineski, and Olvera will lead this second study.
The Aims of this study are to:
- Determine if age, sex, race, and SES modify the effects of daily air pollution on respiratory and cardiovascular hospitalizations for the Hispanic population in El Paso
- Determine if Hispanics, as compared to non-Hispanics, face increased odds of respiratory and cardiovascular hospitalizations due to increases in air pollution in El Paso
- Determine if age, sex, and SES modify the effect of pollution differently for Hispanics as compared to non-Hispanics in El Paso