These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed

  • Title: Exploring persistent racial/ethnic disparities in lead exposure among American children aged 1-5 years: results from NHANES 1999-2016.
    Author: Teye SO, Yanosky JD, Cuffee Y, Weng X, Luquis R, Farace E, Wang L.
    Journal: Int Arch Occup Environ Health; 2021 May; 94(4):723-730. PubMed ID: 33394180.
    Abstract:
    OBJECTIVE: 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. METHODS: 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. RESULTS: 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. CONCLUSION: 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.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]