Dr. Ayaz Hyder, College of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health Sciences and Affiliated Faculty, Translational Data Analytics.
Rank at time of award: Assistant Professor
and
Dr. Elizabeth Cooksey, Sociology
Rank at time of award: Professor
and
Dr. Elizabeth Root, Geography
Rank at time of award: Associate Professor
and
Dr. Abigail Shoben, College of Public Health, Division of Biostatistics
Rank at time of award: Assistant Professor
and
Dr. Kerry Ard, Environmental and Natural Resource Sociology
Rank at time of award: Assistant Professor
Summary
Multiple determinants of health lie proximal or distal in the chain of causation, which may extend back to include lifetime exposures and experiences of previous generations. As a result, intergenerational transmission of health provides a promising framework for integrating multiple determinants of health across multiple generations. We hypothesize that lifetime exposure of grandparents and parents to harmful environmental toxicants are associated with increased risk of adverse birth and cognitive outcomes in their children. We will test this hypothesis by accessing the restricted use Zip Code and Census Tract Files for NLSY79 and the NLSY79 Young Adults data sets. Using these restricted data sets and publicly available data sets, such as NLSY79 data sets, ambient air quality monitoring data from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and US Census data, we will estimate weekly and yearly values for environmental exposure to multiple air toxicants and area-level sociodemographic factors. Data on birth and cognitive outcomes will be obtained from publicly available NLSY79 data sets. Exposure assessment will be based on proximity to ambient air quality monitors located closest to census tract of residence. Exposure misclassification due to residential mobility will be addressed using time-weighted exposures. Exposure profiles will be used to calculate gestational and lifetime exposures. The possibility of predicting these health outcomes based on multiple lifetime exposures of previous generations provides a powerful tool to forecast health outcomes in future generations as a function of exposures faced by the current generation.
Statement of objectives
1. Assign environmental exposure values to NLSY79 cohorts across multiple generations while accounting for residential mobility to minimize exposure misclassification.
2. Estimate the impact of environmental exposures across multiple generations on risk of adverse birth and cognitive outcomes in children and (if sample size allows) grandchildren of NLSY79 women.