Geographic clustering of adult asthma hospitalization and residential exposure to pollution at a United States-Canada border crossing.
OBJECTIVE
We conducted a case-control study of adulthood asthma and point-source respirable particulate air pollution with asthma-diagnosed case patients (n = 3717) and gastroenteritis-diagnosed control patients (n = 4129) to determine effects of particulate air pollution on public health.


METHODS
We used hospitalization data from Buffalo, NY, neighborhoods for a 5-year period (1996 through 2000), geographic information systems techniques, the Diggle method, and statistical analysis to compare the locations of case patients and control patients in terms of proximity to different known pollution sources in the study area.


RESULTS
We found a clustering of asthma cases in close proximity to the Peace Bridge Complex and the freeways and a dose-response relationship indicating a decreased risk of asthma prevalence the farther an individual resides from the source of exposure.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings provide a basis for the development of new hypotheses relating to the spatial distribution of asthma prevalence and morbidity in this community.
Oyana
Tonny J
TJ
Department of Geography, University of Buffalo, NY, USA.
Rogerson
Peter
P
Lwebuga-Mukasa
Jamson S
JS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009518:New York / Q000453:epidemiology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014504:Urban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*