Disaggregation of Green Space Access, Walkability, and Behavioral Risk Factor Data for Precise Estimation of Local Population Characteristics.

Background: Social and Environmental Determinants of Health (SEDH) provide us with a conceptual framework to gain insights into possible associations among different human behaviors and the corresponding health outcomes that take place often in and around complex built environments. Developing better built environments requires an understanding of those aspects of a community that are most likely to have a measurable impact on the target SEDH. Yet data on local characteristics at suitable spatial scales are often unavailable.

Development of a Synthetic Population Model for Assessing Excess Risk for Cardiovascular Disease Death.

Importance: Evaluating the association of social determinants of health with chronic diseases at the population level requires access to individual-level factors associated with disease, which are rarely available for large populations. Synthetic populations are a possible alternative for this purpose.

Objective: To construct and validate a synthetic population that statistically mimics the characteristics and spatial disease distribution of a real population, using real and synthetic data.

Comparison of Census Tract-Level Chronic Disease Prevalence Estimates From 500 Cities and Local Health Claims Data.

Objectives: To compare city and census tract-level diabetes and hypertension prevalence using 500 Cities Project modeled estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and insurance claims data.

Methods: Insurance claims by census tract were collected from 3 local health plans for the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for 2015-2016; conditions were defined using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) and Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes. Crude prevalence estimates with 95% confidence intervals were downloaded from the CDC 500 Cities Web site to obtain modeled estimates by census tract.

A risk-based model to assess environmental justice and coronary heart disease burden from traffic-related air pollutants.

Background: Communities need to efficiently estimate the burden from specific pollutants and identify those most at risk to make timely informed policy decisions. We developed a risk-based model to estimate the burden of black carbon (BC) and nitrogen dioxide (NO) on coronary heart disease (CHD) across environmental justice (EJ) and non-EJ populations in Allegheny County, PA.

Methods: Exposure estimates in census tracts were modeled via land use regression and analyzed in relation to US Census data.

Increasing WIC Farmers' Market Nutrition Program Redemption Rates: Results and Policy Recommendations.

Background: WIC Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) aims to increase consumption of fresh produce among Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) participants while supporting local farmers. Area stakeholders are addressing the existing barriers to FMNP use that keep participation low.

Objectives: Increase FMNP check redemption by participants in a Pittsburgh WIC office.

Linking Opioid-Overdose Data to Human Services and Criminal Justice Data: Opportunities for Intervention.

Objectives: In Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, the incidence of opioid-related overdose deaths increased from 17.4 per 100 000 population in 2008 to 23.9 per 100 000 population in 2014.

Environmental lead and childhood blood lead levels in US children: NHANES, 1999-2006.

Although blood lead levels in the United States have fallen dramatically since 1980, there remain subgroups of children with high blood lead levels. We assessed the relationship between environmental lead sources and blood lead levels in children ages 1 to 5 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 1999-2006. Modeled ambient air lead levels and industrial lead releases at the census-tract level were assigned to each child's residence with adjustment for confounding factors.

The association of respiratory hospitalization rates in WV counties, total, underground, and surface coal production and sociodemographic covariates.

Background: Exposures associated with coal mining have long been linked to occupational disease. More recently, investigators have suggested that this industry may affect community health.

Methods: We explored associations between age-adjusted, county-level respiratory disease hospitalization rates (RHRs) in West Virginia and total, surface, and underground coal production, taking into account relevant sociodemographic and behavioral covariates.

Do US ambient air lead levels have a significant impact on childhood blood lead levels: results of a national study.

Introduction: Although lead paint and leaded gasoline have not been used in the US for thirty years, thousands of US children continue to have blood lead levels (BLLs) of concern.

Methods: We investigated the potential association of modeled air lead levels and BLLs ≥ 10 μ g/dL using a large CDC database with BLLs on children aged 0-3 years. Percent of children with BLLs ≥ 10 μ g/dL (2000-2007) by county and proportion of pre-50 housing and SES variables were merged with the US EPA's National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) modeled air lead data.

Can 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine be used to assess oxidative stress caused by particulate matter air pollution in the general population?

Objectives: Assess the association between 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8OHdG) levels and particulate matter air pollution in non-occupational exposure groups from peer-reviewed literature.

Methods: Ovid Medline and PubMed were used to search for all peer-reviewed articles published between 1946 and May 2013. Keywords included particulate matter, air pollution, deoxyguanosine, 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine, and known abbreviations.

Trends in acute myocardial infarction hospitalization rates for US States in the CDC tracking network.

Objectives: We examined temporal trends, spatial variation, and gender differences in rates of hospitalization due to acute myocardial infarction.

Methods: We used data from the Centers for Disease Control National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network to evaluate temporal trends, geographic variation, and gender differences in 20 Environmental Public Health Tracking Network states from 2000 to 2008. A longitudinal linear mixed effects model was fitted to the acute myocardial infarction hospitalization rates for the states and counties within each state to examine the overall temporal trend.

Estimation of short-term effects of air pollution on stroke hospital admissions in Wuhan, China.

Background And Objective: High concentrations of air pollutants have been linked to increased incidence of stroke in North America and Europe but not yet assessed in mainland China. The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between stroke hospitalization and short-term elevation of air pollutants in Wuhan, China.

Methods: Daily mean NO2, SO2 and PM10 levels, temperature and humidity were obtained from 2006 through 2008.

The relationship of ambient ozone and PM(2.5) levels and asthma emergency department visits: possible influence of gender and ethnicity.

ABSTRACT An investigation of the relationship of air pollution and emergency department (ED) visits for asthma was an opportunity to assess environmental risks for asthma exacerbations in an urban population. A total of 6,979 individuals with a primary discharge diagnosis of asthma presented to 1 of 6 EDs in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area between 2002 and 2005. Using a case-crossover methodology, which controls for the effects of subject-specific covariates such as gender and race, a 2.

Changes over time in audiometric thresholds in a group of automobile stamping and assembly workers with a hearing conservation program.

Noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) is among the 10 leading occupational diseases, afflicting between 7.4 and 10.2 million people who work in noise above 85 dBA.