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Guo Q, Li W. Revisiting the link between body composition and lung function in youth: A critical analysis of methodological and demographic considerations. Clin Nutr 2024; 43:1661-1662. [PMID: 38429148 DOI: 10.1016/j.clnu.2024.02.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Qirui Guo
- Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College & Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100730, China.
| | - Wenbo Li
- Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100070, China.
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Iyengar A, Hanon S, Bruns R, Olsiewski P, Gronvall GK. COVID-19 Mitigation in a K-12 School Setting: A Case Study of Avenues: The World School in New York City. Health Secur 2024; 22:210-222. [PMID: 38624262 DOI: 10.1089/hs.2023.0060] [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] [Indexed: 04/17/2024] Open
Abstract
In this case study, we describe a well-resourced private school in New York City that implemented COVID-19 mitigation measures based on public health expert guidance and the lessons learned from this process. Avenues opened in New York City in 2012 and has since expanded, becoming Avenues: The World School, with campuses in São Paulo, Brazil; Shenzhen, China; the Silicon Valley, California; and online. It offers education at 16 grade levels: 2 early learning years, followed by a prekindergarten through grade 12. We describe the mitigation measures that Avenues implemented on its New York campus. We compare COVID-19 case prevalence at the school with COVID-19 case positivity in New York City, as reported by the New York State Department of Health. We also compare the school's indoor air quality to ambient indoor air quality measures reported in the literature. The school's mitigation measures successfully reduced the prevalence of COVID-19 among its students, staff, and faculty. The school also established a consistently high level of indoor air quality safety through various ventilation mechanisms, designed to reduce common indoor air pollutants. The school received positive parent and community feedback on the policies and procedures it established, with many parents commenting on the high level of trust and quality of communication established by the school. The successful reopening provides useful data for school closure and reopening standards to prepare for future pandemic and epidemic events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ananya Iyengar
- Ananya Iyengar, MSPH, was a Graduate Research Assistant, at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, Baltimore, MD
| | - Steve Hanon
- Steve Hanon, MBA, is Chief Campus Operations Officer, Avenues: The World School, New York, NY
| | - Richard Bruns
- Richard Bruns, PhD, is a Senior Scholar, at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, Baltimore, MD, Richard Bruns is also an Assistant Scientist, the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
| | - Paula Olsiewski
- Paula Olsiewski, PhD, is a Contributing Scholar, at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, Baltimore, MD
| | - Gigi Kwik Gronvall
- Gigi Kwik Gronvall, PhD, is a Senior Scholar, at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, Baltimore, MD, Gigi Kwik Gronvall is also an Associate Professor, in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
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Ding G, Gao Y, Kan H, Zeng Q, Yan C, Li F, Jiang F, Landrigan PJ, Tian Y, Zhang J. Environmental exposure and child health in China. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2024; 187:108722. [PMID: 38733765 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2023] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
Chinese children are exposed to broad environmental risks ranging from well-known hazards, such as pesticides and heavy metals, to emerging threats including many new man-made chemicals. Although anecdotal evidence suggests that the exposure levels in Chinese children are substantially higher than those of children in developed countries, a systematic assessment is lacking. Further, while these exposures have been linked to a variety of childhood diseases, such as respiratory, endocrine, neurological, behavioral, and malignant disorders, the magnitude of the associations is often unclear. This review provides a current epidemiologic overview of commonly reported environmental contaminants and their potential impact on children's health in China. We found that despite a large volume of studies on various topics, there is a need for more high-quality research and better-coordinated regional and national data collection. Moreover, prevention of such diseases will depend not only on training of environmental health professionals and enhanced research programs, but also on public education, legislation, and networking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guodong Ding
- Ministry of Education and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Department of Pediatrics, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Yu Gao
- Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Haidong Kan
- Key Lab of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education and NHC Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Qiang Zeng
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China; Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, Ministry of Education & Ministry of Environmental Protection, and State Key Laboratory of Environmental health (incubating), School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
| | - Chonghuai Yan
- Ministry of Education and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Fei Li
- Ministry of Education and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatric & Child Primary Care, Brain and Behavioral Research Unit of Shanghai Institute for Pediatric Research, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Fan Jiang
- Ministry of Education and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, National Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Philip J Landrigan
- Global Observatory on Planetary Health, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, United States; Centre Scientifique de Monaco, MC, Monaco.
| | - Ying Tian
- Ministry of Education and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Jun Zhang
- Ministry of Education and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
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Cao C, Wang Y, Peng L, Wu W, Yang H, Li Z. Asthma and Other Respiratory Diseases of Children in Relation to Personal Behavior, Household, Parental and Environmental Factors in West China. TOXICS 2023; 11:964. [PMID: 38133365 PMCID: PMC10747494 DOI: 10.3390/toxics11120964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Asthma and other respiratory diseases, which are of great concern in public health, are paid less attention in areas that are less economically developed. This research aimed to study the prevalence of critical respiratory diseases of children living in West China and figure out the potential influencing factors. A total of 575 children under the age of 14 were recruited from Xinjiang, China, to participate in the study in 2022. Information on activity patterns, socioeconomic and parental factors, and household and surrounding environment situations was obtained using a questionnaire survey. Logistic regression models were applied to estimate the odds ratios of respiratory disease prevalence in relation to behavior patterns, household, parental and environmental factors, respectively. The prevalence of ever doctor-diagnosed asthma, doctor-diagnosed bronchitis and current bronchitis were 4.7%, 19.0% and 14.4%, respectively. The prevalence of doctor-diagnosed pneumonia was 8.2%, which was two times higher in urban than rural areas. Longer annual heating duration was significantly associated with higher risks in children's asthma and bronchitis, with an odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of 3.363 (95% CI: 1.215-9.298) and 1.267 (95% CI: 1.002-1.601), respectively. Opening the window longer in autumn would lead to higher risks of bronchitis, with ORs of 1.165 and 1.133, respectively, for doctor-diagnosed bronchitis and current bronchitis. Residential air pollution and having a residence close to waste incineration plant or garbage station were, respectively, significantly associated with higher risks of doctor-diagnosed bronchitis and asthma. Parental disease history was associated with a higher prevalence of children's asthma and respiratory diseases, whereas breastfeeding and doing physical exercise were, respectively, significantly associated with a lower risk of asthma. A high prevalence of respiratory diseases in children in West China may be partly attributed to longer annual heating time, opening windows longer in autumn, surrounding environmental pollution, as well as parental disease history, whereas promoting physical activity and breastfeeding could be an effective measure to reduce the risk of childhood asthma in West China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changan Cao
- School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361104, China;
| | - Yuna Wang
- School of Chemical and Environmental Sciences, YiLi Normal University, Yining 835000, China; (Y.W.)
| | - Li Peng
- School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science of Technology Beijing, Beijing 10083, China;
| | - Weiqi Wu
- Department of Geography, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK;
| | - Huimin Yang
- School of Chemical and Environmental Sciences, YiLi Normal University, Yining 835000, China; (Y.W.)
| | - Zhigang Li
- Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
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