Breathing Room: Industrial Zoning and Asthma Incidence Using School District Health Records in the City of Santa Ana, California

Kelton Mock, Anton M. Palma, Jun Wu, John Billimek and Kim D. Lu
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Kelton Mock: Program in Medical Education for the Latino Community, University of California Irvine School of Medicine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
Anton M. Palma: Institute for Clinical & Translational Science, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
Jun Wu: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Program in Public Health, University of California Irvine Susan and Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
John Billimek: Program in Medical Education for the Latino Community, Health Policy Research Institute, Department of Family Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
Kim D. Lu: Department of Pediatrics, University of California Irvine School of Medicine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 8, 1-12

Abstract: Background: Traffic and industrial emissions are associated with increased pediatric asthma morbidity. However, few studies have examined the influence of city industrial zoning on pediatric asthma outcomes among minoritized communities with limited access to air monitoring. Methods: In this cross-sectional analysis of 39,974 school-aged students in Santa Ana, CA, we investigated the effect of proximity to areas zoned for industrial use on pediatric asthma prevalence, physical fitness, school attendance, and standardized test scores. Results: The study population was 80.6% Hispanic, with 88.2% qualifying for free/reduced lunch. Compared to students living more than 1 km away from industrial zones, those living within 0.5 km had greater odds of having asthma (adjusted OR 1.21, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.34, p < 0.001). Among children with asthma, those living between 0.5–1.0 km had greater odds of being overweight or obese (aOR 1.47, 95% CI 1.00, 2.15, p = 0.047). Industrial zone proximity was not significantly associated with worse fitness and academic outcomes for students with asthma. Conclusion: These findings suggest that industrial zone proximity is associated with increased pediatric asthma in a predominantly Latino community in Southern California.

Keywords: asthma prevalence; obesity; children; pediatric; industrial zone; industry; zoning; Latinx; Latino; Hispanic (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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