Visualizing Parcel-Level Lead Risk Using an Exterior Housing-Based Index

Pediatric lead poisoning remains a persistent public health problem. Children in the US spend the preponderance of their time at home; thus, housing is an important social determinant of health. Improving health outcomes derived from housing-based sources involves differentiating the risks posed by the existing housing stock. In this paper, we developed a parcel-level lead risk index (LRI) based on external housing conditions and the year of home construction. The purpose of this study was to introduce a housing-based lead risk index (LRI), developed using retrospective data, to estimate parcel-by-parcel variation in housing-based lead risk. We described how the LRI is constructed, relate it to the likelihood of a pediatric occupant's blood lead level (BLL) > 3.5 µg/dL using Lasso regression (n = 6589), visualized this relationship graphically, and mapped the outcome. We found that mapping the LRI provided more information at a more precise geographic level than was possible using other public health surveillance methods.