Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #115247

Frances J. Mather, PhD¹, Luann E. White, PhD, DABT², Jeffrey Shaffer, MS³, Margot T. Brown, MSPH⁴, Charles Shorter, MSPH⁴, Elizabeth Langlois, MSPH⁴, Adam B. Becker, PhD, MPH⁵, and W.R. Hartley, PhD⁶. (1) Department of Biostatistics, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1430 Tulane Avenue, New Orleans, LA 7 0112, 504-587-7329, mather@tulane.edu, (2) School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University Health Sciences Center, Center for Applied Environmental Public Health, 1430 Tulane Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70112, (3) Department of Biostatistics, Tulane University School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal St., 20th Floor, New Orleans, LA 70112, (4) Center for Applied Environmental Public Health, Tulane University SPHTM, 1430 Tulane Avenue, 1430 Tulane Avenue, New Orleans, LA 7 0112, (5) Community Health Sciences, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal Street - SL29, Suite 2301, New Orleans, LA 70112, (6) Environmental Health Sciences, Tulane University, 1430 Tulane Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70112

Background: It is widely accepted that racial differences exist in the perception of the effect of environmental factors on health outcomes. These perceptions may be a consequence of proximity to a hazardous site, disease incidence and/or socio-demographic factors. Objectives: (1) Identify major health and environmental concerns among African-Americans and Caucasians, (2) Assess the importance of several factors believed to be associated with health, (3) Use multi-level models to explain neighborhood effects on health and environmental concerns. Methods: A community survey of 687 households was conducted in the Greater New Orleans area via random digit dialing. One person per household, 21 years of age or over was selected as the respondent. Logistic regression and multilevel methods were used to model both individual and community-level factors. Results: After accounting for socio-demographic confounding variables, black respondents reported more major concerns regarding environmental and health conditions than white respondents. Black respondents also reported social factors to be more important in contributing to poor health than behavioral factors, while white respondents reported the converse. Group-level effects are assessed. Discussion: Environmental public health officials engaged in risk assessment and communication should be mindful of racial and neighborhood differences in perception of health and environmental concerns. A more complete understanding of factors affecting risk perception and methods for quantifying their importance is required, as well as the limitations introduced by differences in the incidence of disease and the size of the geographic region to be studied.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• Identify and compare five major health and environmental concerns for each race group.
• Prioritize four factors believed to be associated with poor health for each race group.
• Articulate the importance of modeling neighborhood effects in the assessment of health and environmental concerns.

Keywords: Health Disparities, Environmental Health Hazards

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation