Exploring persistent racial/ethnic disparities in lead exposure among American children aged 1-5 years: results from
Simisola O Teye1, Jeff D Yanosky2, Yendelela Cuffee2
1Department of Public Health Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, USA. simi.bello@gmail.com.
Insights
Racial disparities in childhood lead exposure persist, with non-Hispanic Black children showing higher blood lead levels (BLLs) than non-Hispanic White children. While overall lead exposure has declined, socioeconomic factors partially explain these persistent racial gaps in BLLs.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Pediatric Health
- Health Disparities Research
Background:
- Childhood lead exposure remains a significant public health concern.
- Long-standing racial disparities in lead exposure have been documented.
- Understanding current disparities is crucial for targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if racial disparities in lead exposure still exist for children aged 1-5 years.
- To compare blood lead levels (BLLs) between non-Hispanic Black children and non-Hispanic White children.
- To identify factors associated with elevated BLLs in children.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999-2016.
- Compared geometric mean BLLs by race/ethnicity using log-transformed linear regression.
- Assessed associations between race, socioeconomic factors, and elevated BLLs using weighted regression analyses.
Main Results:
- A total of 6772 children were analyzed.
- Non-Hispanic Black children consistently exhibited higher geometric mean BLLs compared to non-Hispanic White children from 1999-2000 through 2013-2014 (p < 0.05).
- By 2015-2016, the gap narrowed (0.89 μg/dL vs 0.74 μg/dL, p = 0.17), but being non-Hispanic Black and low family income were independently associated with higher BLLs.
Conclusions:
- Childhood lead exposure has declined across all racial/ethnic groups.
- A persistent, though diminished, racial disparity in BLLs favoring non-Hispanic White children was observed.
- Socioeconomic factors partially explain the racial/ethnic disparities in childhood BLLs.
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.
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