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Breton-Carbonneau AC, Anguelovski I, O'Brien K, Echevarría-Ramos M, Fina N, Genty J, Seeder A, Binet A, Williams PC, Cole HV, Triguero-Mas M. Exploring ownership of change and health equity implications in neighborhood change processes: A community-led approach to enhancing just climate resilience in Everett, MA. Health Place 2024; 89:103294. [PMID: 38941653 DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2024.103294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/30/2024]
Abstract
Traditional planning processes have perpetuated the exclusion of historically marginalized communities, imposing vulnerability to climate (health) crises. We investigate how ownership of change fosters equitable climate resilience and community well-being through participatory action research. Our study highlights the detrimental effects of climate gentrification on community advocacy for climate security and health, negatively impacting well-being. We identify three key processes of ownership of change: ownership of social identity, development and decision-making processes, and knowledge. These approaches emphasize community-led solutions to counter climate health challenges and underscore the interdependence of social and environmental factors in mental health outcomes in climate-stressed communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andréanne C Breton-Carbonneau
- Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Edifici Z (ICTA-ICP), Carrer de les Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 08193, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain; Barcelona Lab for Urban Environmental Justice and Sustainability (BCNUEJ), Carrer de Sant Antoni Maria Claret, 171, 08041, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Isabelle Anguelovski
- Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Edifici Z (ICTA-ICP), Carrer de les Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 08193, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain; Barcelona Lab for Urban Environmental Justice and Sustainability (BCNUEJ), Carrer de Sant Antoni Maria Claret, 171, 08041, Barcelona, Spain; Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Passeig de Lluís Companys, 23, 08010, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Kathleen O'Brien
- Everett Community Growers (ECG), 471 Broadway, Suite 8, Everett, MA, 02419, USA; Healthy Neighborhoods Research Consortium, Massachusetts, USA.
| | | | - Nicole Fina
- Everett Community Growers (ECG), 471 Broadway, Suite 8, Everett, MA, 02419, USA; Healthy Neighborhoods Research Consortium, Massachusetts, USA.
| | - Josée Genty
- Everett Community Growers (ECG), 471 Broadway, Suite 8, Everett, MA, 02419, USA; Healthy Neighborhoods Research Consortium, Massachusetts, USA.
| | - Andrew Seeder
- Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) Massachusetts, 62 Summer Street, Boston, MA, 02110, USA; Healthy Neighborhoods Research Consortium, Massachusetts, USA.
| | - Andrew Binet
- School of Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), University of British Columbia (UBC), 1933 West Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z2; Healthy Neighborhoods Research Consortium, Massachusetts, USA.
| | - Patrice C Williams
- School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, Northeastern University, 310 Renaissance Park, 1135 Tremont Street, Boston, MA, 02120, USA; Healthy Neighborhoods Research Consortium, Massachusetts, USA.
| | - Helen Vs Cole
- Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Edifici Z (ICTA-ICP), Carrer de les Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 08193, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain; Barcelona Lab for Urban Environmental Justice and Sustainability (BCNUEJ), Carrer de Sant Antoni Maria Claret, 171, 08041, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Margarita Triguero-Mas
- Barcelona Lab for Urban Environmental Justice and Sustainability (BCNUEJ), Carrer de Sant Antoni Maria Claret, 171, 08041, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA; Barcelona Institute for Global Health, ISGlobal, Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB). Doctor Aiguader, 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain.
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2
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Weatherly C, Carag J, Zohdy S, Morrison M. The mental health impacts of human-ecosystem-animal relationships: A systematic scoping review of Eco-, Planetary, and One Health approaches. One Health 2023; 17:100621. [PMID: 38024273 PMCID: PMC10665142 DOI: 10.1016/j.onehlt.2023.100621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The threats to human and animal health, biodiversity conservation, and our living planet's future are ever-present and increasingly more severe due to climate change and environmental degradation. There is an emerging discourse exploring the mental health dimensions contained within these changes. To better understand and respond to these impacts requires novel and creative methodological approaches built on conceptual frameworks that integrate perspectives from the social and natural sciences. Three of the most influential interdisciplinary frameworks at the human-animal-ecosystem interface include: One Health, EcoHealth, and Planetary Health. These frameworks report mental health as an integral component within overall health-related outcomes. However, a comprehensive synthesis of the state of the literature that examines how mental health is explored within these approaches does not currently exist. A systematic scoping review was therefore conducted to obtain clear understandings of patterns, gaps, and broad themes, and to highlight future research needs and considerations. Standardized PRISMA guidelines, including explicitly defined inclusion/exclusion criteria and dual screening/extractions, were used. 13 papers were included: seven using the One Health Framework, with Planetary and EcoHealth each represented by three. Trends observed include a predominate focus on companion animals as interventions, "sense of place" used as a component of mental well-being, and non-physical health-related measurements of animal well-being as an outcome within One Health research. The lack in retrieved studies also highlight the dearth in literature on mental health as a pillar of these three well established frameworks. Compiling what is known in the evidence-base as a launching point for scientific engagement, this review describes guidance for investigators on how to conduct mental health research within these framework parameters so that future studies can elucidate mechanisms underpinning the intersections between the biosphere and human mental-health and data-driven interventions and policy recommendations that simultaneously address mental health and global change can be proposed and enacted.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. Weatherly
- University of Georgia School of Social Work, 279 Williams St, Athens, GA 30602, United States of America
| | - J. Carag
- Emory University School of Medicine, 100 Woodruff Circle, Atlanta, GA 30322, United States of America
| | - S. Zohdy
- College of Forestry, Wildlife, and Environment and College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, United States of America
| | - M. Morrison
- St. Louis University School of Social Work, Tegeler Hall, 3550 Lindell Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63103, United States of America
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Ezell JM, Olson B, Ghosh A, Chase EC. Theorizing on neo public assistance: How do race and class impact resource uptake and behavior following disaster? Soc Sci Med 2022; 314:115464. [PMID: 36327635 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2022] [Revised: 10/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The consequences of environmental disasters and other ecologic and communal crises are frequently worst in racially/ethnically minoritized and low-income populations relative to other groups. This disproportionality may create or deepen patterns of governmental distrust and stoke health promotion disengagement in these groups. To date, there has been limited contextualization of how historically disenfranchised populations utilize government-administered or facilitated resources following such disasters. Focusing on the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, we examine and theorize on the usage of neo public assistance, free risk reduction resources that are provided to disaster survivors as a liminal means of redressing ills created and/or insufficiently mitigated by the state. We surveyed 331 Flint residents, evaluating their usage of four neo public assistance resources following the FWC, finding low to moderate uptake: 131 residents (39.6%) indicated that they obtained blood lead level (BLL) screenings, 216 (65.3%) had their tap water tested for lead (Pb) and other contaminants, 137 (41.4%) had their home water infrastructure replaced, and 293 (88.5%) had acquired bottled water at community distribution sites. Unemployment, receiving public benefits, and lacking reliable transportation and stable housing were associated with lower uptake of some resources. Compared to White and "Other" race individuals, Black residents were generally more likely to acquire/utilize these resources, suggesting heightened concerns and health promotion proclivities even in the face of observed macro and individual-level challenges. Potential reasons and implications are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerel M Ezell
- General Internal Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Center for Cultural Humility, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
| | - Brooke Olson
- General Internal Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Arnab Ghosh
- General Internal Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Elizabeth C Chase
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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4
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Liao C, Dordunoo D. Rethinking global health topics to advance social justice in undergraduate nursing education. NURSE EDUCATION TODAY 2022; 118:105521. [PMID: 36041252 DOI: 10.1016/j.nedt.2022.105521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Liao
- School of Health Studies, Nursing, University of the Fraser Valley, 45190 Caen Avenue, Chilliwack, BC V2R 0N3, Canada.
| | - Dzifa Dordunoo
- School of Nursing, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2, Canada.
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Martin L, Zhang Y, Mustieles V, Souter I, Petrozza J, Messerlian C. Reproductive medicine in the face of climate change: a call for prevention through leadership. Fertil Steril 2022; 118:239-246. [PMID: 35787921 DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2022.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Climate change has led to a multitude of ecological disruptions and downstream reproductive health consequences that impair our reproductive capacity and, in turn, harm the health and survival of future generations. Atmospheric changes, driven by anthropogenic emissions, expose global populations to droughts, heat waves, rising sea levels, and extreme weather events-posing major threats to public health and exacerbating environmental health disparities. Existing evidence demonstrates the potential for climate-driven events to impact reproductive health outcomes, yet very few studies have explored this relationship. Recently, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics released position statements regarding reproductive health and environmental exposures. Unfortunately, such initiatives have yielded little action within the health care system. To address this stagnation, health care workers must meld research findings into actionable preventive medicine strategies and transition to a more action-oriented approach to address the climate crisis. The objective of this article is to elucidate the urgency of the climate crisis in relation to reproductive health and push the health care workers to recognize their intrinsic opportunity as leaders in climate action at local, state, national, and international levels. We call on health care organizations and health care workers to leverage their inherent positions as climate action leaders to increase climate resilience and mitigate climate-related adverse reproductive health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leah Martin
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Heath, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Yu Zhang
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Heath, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Vicente Mustieles
- University of Granada, Center for Biomedical Research, Granada, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria de Granada, Granada, Spain; Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health, Granada, Spain
| | - Irene Souter
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Massachusetts General Hospital Fertility Center, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - John Petrozza
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Massachusetts General Hospital Fertility Center, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Carmen Messerlian
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Heath, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Massachusetts General Hospital Fertility Center, Boston, Massachusetts.
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Beechinor RJ, Overberg A, Brown CS, Cummins S, Mordino J. Climate change is here: What will the profession of pharmacy do about it? Am J Health Syst Pharm 2022; 79:1393-1396. [PMID: 35512276 DOI: 10.1093/ajhp/zxac124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In an effort to expedite the publication of articles related to the COVID-19 pandemic, AJHP is posting these manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Adam Overberg
- Indiana Poison Center, Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | | | - Sarah Cummins
- Department of Pharmacy, UC Davis Health, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - Jason Mordino
- Department of Pharmacy, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
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7
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Sacks E, Yangchen S, Marten R. COVID-19, climate change, and communities. Lancet Planet Health 2021; 5:e663-e664. [PMID: 34627466 PMCID: PMC8497025 DOI: 10.1016/s2542-5196(21)00257-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Revised: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Emma Sacks
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
| | - Sonam Yangchen
- Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Robert Marten
- Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
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8
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Marten R, Yangchen S, Campbell-Lendrum D, Prats EV, Neira MP, Ghaffar A. Climate change: an urgent priority for health policy and systems research. Health Policy Plan 2021; 36:218-220. [PMID: 33347561 PMCID: PMC7996636 DOI: 10.1093/heapol/czaa165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Robert Marten
- Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, World Health Organization, Avenue Appia 20, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Sonam Yangchen
- Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, World Health Organization, Avenue Appia 20, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum
- Environment, Climate Change and Health Department, World Health Organization, Avenue Appia 20, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Elena Villalobos Prats
- Environment, Climate Change and Health Department, World Health Organization, Avenue Appia 20, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Maria Purificacion Neira
- Environment, Climate Change and Health Department, World Health Organization, Avenue Appia 20, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Abdul Ghaffar
- Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, World Health Organization, Avenue Appia 20, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
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9
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Ezell JM, Griswold D, Chase EC, Carver E. The blueprint of disaster: COVID-19, the Flint water crisis, and unequal ecological impacts. Lancet Planet Health 2021; 5:e309-e315. [PMID: 33964240 PMCID: PMC9709384 DOI: 10.1016/s2542-5196(21)00076-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2020] [Revised: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
COVID-19 is unique in the scope of its effects on morbidity and mortality. However, the factors contributing to its disparate racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic effects are part of an expansive and continuous history of oppressive social policy and marginalising geopolitics. This history is characterised by institutionally generated spatial inequalities forged through processes of residential segregation and neglectful urban planning. In the USA, aspects of COVID-19's manifestation closely mirror elements of the build-up and response to the Flint crisis, Michigan's racially and class-contoured water crisis that began in 2014, and to other prominent environmental injustice cases, such as the 1995 Chicago (IL, USA) heatwave that severely affected the city's south and west sides, predominantly inhabited by Black people. Each case shares common macrosocial and spatial characteristics and is instructive in showing how civic trust suffers in the aftermath of public health disasters, becoming especially degenerative among historically and spatially marginalised populations. Offering a commentary on the sociogeographical dynamics that gave rise to these crises and this institutional distrust, we discuss how COVID-19 has both inherited and augmented patterns of spatial inequality. We conclude by outlining particular steps that can be taken to prevent and reduce spatial inequalities generated by COVID-19, and by discussing the preliminary steps to restore trust between historically disenfranchised communities and the public officials and institutions tasked with responding to COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerel M Ezell
- Africana Studies and Research Center, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA; Cornell Center for Health Equity, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
| | | | - Elizabeth C Chase
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Evan Carver
- Program on the Global Environment, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
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10
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Solomonian L, Di Ruggiero E. The critical intersection of environmental and social justice: a commentary. Global Health 2021; 17:30. [PMID: 33766055 PMCID: PMC7992590 DOI: 10.1186/s12992-021-00686-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The global crises of ecological degradation and social injustice are mutually reinforcing products of the same flawed systems. Dominant human culture is morally obliged to challenge and reconstruct these systems in order to mitigate future planetary harm. In this commentary, we argue that doing so requires a critical examination of the values and narratives which underlie systems of oppression and power. We argue for the moral necessity of a socially just approach to the ecological crisis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leslie Solomonian
- Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, 1255 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto, Ontario, M4S 1R6, Canada.
| | - Erica Di Ruggiero
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 155 College Street, Room 408, Toronto, ON, M5T 3M7, Canada
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11
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Maibach E, Frumkin H, Ahdoot S. Health Professionals and the Climate Crisis: Trusted Voices, Essential Roles. WORLD MEDICAL & HEALTH POLICY 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/wmh3.421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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12
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Jorgenson AK, Thombs RP, Clark B, Givens JE, Hill TD, Huang X, Kelly OM, Fitzgerald JB. Inequality amplifies the negative association between life expectancy and air pollution: A cross-national longitudinal study. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 758:143705. [PMID: 33223160 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Revised: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Ambient air pollution, in the form of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), poses serious population health risks. We estimate cross-national longitudinal models to test whether the negative relationship between life expectancy and PM2.5 concentration is larger in nations with higher levels of income inequality. The dependent variable is average life expectancy at birth, and the focal predictor variables include PM2.5 concentration, income inequality, and the two-way interaction between them. We also estimate the average marginal effects of PM2.5 concentration from low to high values of income inequality, and the predicted values of life expectancy from low to high values of PM2.5 concentration and income inequality. Results indicate that the negative relationship between life expectancy and PM2.5 concentration is larger in nations with higher levels of income inequality, and the reductions in predicted life expectancy are substantial when both PM2.5 concentration and income inequality are high. We suggest that the theoretical principles of Power, Proximity, and Physiology help explain our findings. This study underscores the importance in considering the multiplicative impacts of environmental conditions and socioeconomic factors in the modeling of population health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew K Jorgenson
- Boston College, Department of Sociology and Environmental Studies Program, McGuinn Hall 426, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, United States.
| | - Ryan P Thombs
- Boston College, Department of Sociology, McGuinn Hall 426, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, United States.
| | - Brett Clark
- University of Utah, Department of Sociology, 380 S 1530 E RM 301, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, United States.
| | - Jennifer E Givens
- Utah State University, Department of Sociology, 0730 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322-0730, United States.
| | - Terrence D Hill
- University of Texas at San Antonio, Department of Sociology, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249-1644, United States.
| | - Xiaorui Huang
- Boston College, Department of Sociology, McGuinn Hall 426, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, United States.
| | - Orla M Kelly
- University College Dublin, School of Social Policy, Social Work & Social Justice, Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington Building, Belfield, Dublin D04 N9Y1, Ireland.
| | - Jared B Fitzgerald
- Oklahoma State University, Department of Sociology, 431 Social Sciences & Humanities, Stillwater, OK 74078-4062, United States.
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13
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Dearing JW, Lapinski M. Multisolving Innovations For Climate And Health: Message Framing To Achieve Broad Public Support. Health Aff (Millwood) 2020; 39:2175-2181. [PMID: 33284709 DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.2020.01170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Rapid diffusion of solutions to a changing climate is paramount if the US is to mitigate carbon emissions. A timely response depends on how people perceive and understand innovations such as new practices, programs, policies, and technologies that promise to reduce emissions. This article explores multisolving innovations in the context of interventions that can be targeted to community leaders and decision makers. We focus on examples led by policy staff; directors of municipal offices and departments of transportation, housing, sustainability, urban planning, and public health; and elected county and city officials where there may be mixed support for efforts to reduce carbon emissions, to show that some innovations can be accurately framed solely in terms of community health benefits. When communicating with stakeholders who are dismissive or skeptical of climate change, we suggest using messages that describe the benefits of mitigation innovations in terms of human health, rather than climate, to achieve broader acceptability.
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Affiliation(s)
- James W Dearing
- James W. Dearing is the Brandt Endowed Professor in the Department of Communication at Michigan State University, in East Lansing, Michigan
| | - Maria Lapinski
- Maria Lapinski is the director of the Health and Risk Communication Center and a professor in the Department of Communication at Michigan State University
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