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Lochotzki H, Williams KP, Colen CG, Adetona O, Tavares CB, Ginn GM, Haynes R, Im W, Bils T, Hood DB. A Framework for Interfacing and Partnering with Environmental Justice Communities as a Prelude to Human Health and Hazard Identification in the Vulnerable Census Tracts of Columbus, Ohio. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:13846. [PMID: 36360728 PMCID: PMC9654058 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192113846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Columbus, Ohio is one of the more prosperous, well-educated, and progressive cities in the United States. However, it ranks as the second worst life expectancy at birth, has a census tract wealth gap (27-year disparity), and one of the higher infant mortality rates in the country. These data suggest that there are likely several high-risk, vulnerable neighborhoods in Columbus with residents experiencing disparate and adverse outcomes. Illustrative of this fact are studies that have examined the social processes and mechanisms through which neighborhood contexts are at the forefront, including exposures to chemical stressors such as particulate matter (PM2.5) as well as non-chemical stressors including violence, social determinants of health, zoning, and land use policies. It is documented that disparate and adverse outcomes are magnified in the vulnerable neighborhoods on the Near East Side as compared to Columbus city proper, Franklin County and/or the state of Ohio. As such, we developed a nuanced community engagement framework to identify potential environmental hazards associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes in those census tracts. The refined framework uses a blended version of traditional community-based participatory research (CBPR) models and is referred to as E6, Enhancing Environmental Endeavors via e-Equity, Education, and Empowerment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather Lochotzki
- Division of Environmental Health Sciences, College of Public Health, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Karen Patricia Williams
- Martha S. Pitzer Center for Women, Children & Youth, College of Nursing, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Cynthia G. Colen
- Department of Sociology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Olorunfemi Adetona
- Division of Environmental Health Sciences, College of Public Health, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | | | - Georgina M. Ginn
- Columbus Early Learning Centers, 1611 Old Leonard Avenue, Columbus, OH 43219, USA
| | - Rejeana Haynes
- St. Vincent Family Services, 1490 East Main Street, Columbus, OH 43205, USA
| | - Wansoo Im
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN 37208, USA
| | - Tanya Bils
- Division of Environmental Health Sciences, College of Public Health, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Darryl B. Hood
- Division of Environmental Health Sciences, College of Public Health, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
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Miller AL. Environmental contaminants and child development: Developmentally-informed opportunities and recommendations for integrating and informing child environmental health science. New Dir Child Adolesc Dev 2022; 2022:173-193. [PMID: 36040401 PMCID: PMC9804544 DOI: 10.1002/cad.20479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Child environmental health (CEH) science has identified numerous effects of early life exposures to common, ubiquitous environmental toxicants. CEH scientists have documented the costs not only to individual children but also to population-level health effects of such exposures. Importantly, such risks are unequally distributed in the population, with historically marginalized communities and the children living in these communities receiving the most damaging exposures. Developmental science offers a lens and set of methodologies to identify nuanced biological and behavioral processes that drive child development across physical, cognitive, and socioemotional domains. Developmental scientists are also experts in considering the multiple, hierarchically-layered contexts that shape development alongside toxicant exposure. Such contexts and the individuals acting within them make up an overarching "child serving ecosystem" spanning systems and sectors that serve children directly and indirectly. Articulating how biobehavioral mechanisms and social-ecological contexts unfold from a developmental perspective are needed in order to inform CEH translation and intervention efforts across this child-serving ecosystem. Developmentalists can also benefit from integrating CEH science findings in their work by considering the role of the physical environment, and environmental toxicants specifically, on child health and development. Building on themes that were laid out by Trentacosta and Mulligan in 2020, this commentary presents recommendations for connecting developmental and CEH science and for translating such work so that it can be used to promote child development in an equitable manner across this child-serving ecosystem. These opportunities include (1) Using Developmentally-Informed Conceptual Models; (2) Applying Creative, Sophisticated, and Rigorous Methods; (3) Integrating Developmentally-Sensitive Intervention Considerations; and (4) Establishing Interdisciplinary Collaborations and Cross-Sector Partnerships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison L. Miller
- School of Public HealthUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMichiganUSA
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