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Exploring persistent racial/ethnic disparities in lead exposure among American children aged 1–5 years: results from NHANES 1999–2016
- Source :
- International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health. 94:723-730
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2021.
-
Abstract
- The aim of this study was to determine whether long-standing racial disparities in lead exposure still exists for children age 1–5 years old. We examined if blood lead levels were higher among non-Hispanic Black children and others compared to non-Hispanic White children. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999-2016 were used. Geometric mean blood lead levels (BLLs) were compared by race/ethnicity using log-transformed simple linear regression. Associations between race and elevated BLL were assessed using weighted Chi-square tests. Log-transformed multiple weighted linear regression was used to assess what factors affected BLLs. A total of 6772 children were included in this study. In 1999–2000, the geometric mean BLL for non-Hispanic Black children was 3.08 μg/dL, compared to 2.03 μg/dL for non-Hispanic White children (p = 0.01). The difference in geometric mean BLL between non-Hispanic Black children and non-Hispanic White children continued to be statistically significant in later years (all p < 0.05) until 2015-2016 (0.89 μg/dL vs 0.74 μg/dL, p = 0.17). Log-transformed linear regression showed that being non-Hispanic Black and having low family income were independently associated with higher BLL. Although lead exposure in the general population continued to decline for all racial/ethnic groups, non-Hispanic Black children still had higher BLL than non-Hispanic White children. In more recent years, the racial/ethnic gap was lesser but persisted. Racial/ethnic disparity in childhood BLL could be partially explained by socio-economic factors.
- Subjects :
- education.field_of_study
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
business.industry
Population
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Ethnic group
Family income
030210 environmental & occupational health
Racial ethnic
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Lead exposure
Medicine
030212 general & internal medicine
education
business
Demography
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 14321246 and 03400131
- Volume :
- 94
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi...........b8ecbeb324928f618889ae1d8b33d441