Protecting Life and Lung: Protected Areas affect fine particulate matter and respiratory hospitalizations in the Brazilian Amazon Biome.

There is growing recognition of the connection between ecosystem conservation and human health. For example, protection of tropical forests can affect the spread of infectious diseases, water quality, and dietary diversity, while forest loss can have important consequences for respiratory health due to the use of fire for converting land to alternative uses in many countries. Studies demonstrating links between ecosystems and health often conclude with recommendations to expand policies that protect natural ecosystems.

Randomized trial in rural Native American homes heated with wood stoves: results from the EldersAIR study.

Residential wood burning has both practical and traditional value among many indigenous communities of the United States Mountain West, although household biomass burning also results in emissions that are harmful to health. In a household-level three-arm placebo-controlled randomized trial we tested the efficacy of portable filtration units and education interventions on improving pulmonary function and blood pressure measures among elder participants that use wood stoves for residential heating. A total of 143 participants were assigned to the Education (n=49), Filter (n=47), and Control (n=47) arms.

Association between Caregiver-perceived Health Care Provider Cultural Sensitivity and Child Health Status in the National Survey of Children's Health: 2016-2020.

Objectives: To examine the association between caregiver-perceived cultural sensitivity of health care providers and child health status in the United States.

Methods: We analyzed National Survey of Children's Health data (n = 145,226) from 2016-2020. Using logistic regression, we determined odds of reporting a better health status by level of caregiver-perceived provider cultural sensitivity while controlling for potential confounders.

Impacts of wildfire-season air quality on park and playground visitation in the Northwest United States.

A significant cost of wildfires is the exposure of local and regional populations to air pollution from smoke, which can travel hundreds of miles from the source fire and is associated with significant negative health consequences. Wildfires are increasing in frequency and intensity in the United States, driven by historic fire management approaches and global climate change. These influences will take many decades or longer to reverse, so the main opportunities for mitigating health effects involve minimizing human exposure through changes in behavior or infrastructure.

Wildland Firefighter Work History and Clinical Indicators of Cardiovascular Health.

Objective: To determine the association between the occupational history as a wildland firefighter (WFF) and clinical indicators of cardiovascular health.

Methods: Among 2862 WFFs, we evaluated associations between the number of total days assigned on fire and high-risk categories of three clinically measured cardiovascular indicators.

Results: Almost one-third (32%) of WFFs had one or more clinical measures that would place them in high-risk categories for body mass index, blood pressure, and total cholesterol.