title: An examination of the effects of mountaintop removal coal mining on respiratory symptoms and COPD using propensity scores.
abstract: Previous research on public health consequences of mountaintop removal (MTR) coal mining has been limited by the observational nature of the data. The current study used propensity scores, a method designed to overcome this limitation, to draw more confident causal inferences about mining effects on respiratory health using non-experimental data. These data come from a health survey of 682 adults residing in two rural areas of Virginia, USA characterized by the presence or absence of MTR mining. Persons with a history of occupational exposure as coal miners were excluded. Nine covariates including age, sex, current and former smoking, overweight, obesity, high school education, college education, and exposure to coal as a home-heating source were selected to estimate propensity scores. Propensity scores were tested for balance and then used as weights to create quasi-experimental exposed and unexposed groups. Results indicated that persons in the mountaintop mining group had significantly (p < 0.0001) elevated prevalence of respiratory symptoms and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The results suggest that impaired respiratory health results from exposure to MTR environments and not from other risks.
authors: a Applied Health Science , Indiana University , Bloomington , IN , USA.
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Hendryx
authors: Juhua
authors: J
authors: Luo
mesh_terms: D003032:Coal Mining / Q000379:methods*; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D057216:Propensity Score; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D012120:Respiration Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D012424:Rural Population; D014768:Virginia / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Appalachia; COPD; coal mining; propensity score; respiratory health