title: The modifying effect of socioeconomic status on the relationship between traffic, air pollution and respiratory health in elementary schoolchildren.
abstract: The volume and type of traffic and exposure to air pollution have been found to be associated with respiratory health, but few studies have considered the interaction with socioeconomic status at the household level. We investigated the relationships of respiratory health related to traffic type, traffic volume, and air pollution, stratifying by socioeconomic status, based on household income and education, in 3591 schoolchildren in Windsor, Canada. Interquartile range changes in traffic exposure and pollutant levels were linked to respiratory symptoms and objective measures of lung function using generalised linear models for three levels of income and education. In 95% of the relationships among all cases, the odds ratios for reported respiratory symptoms (a decrease in measured lung function), based on an interquartile range change in traffic exposure or pollutant, were greater in the lower income/education groups than the higher, although the odds ratios were in most cases not significant. However, in up to 62% of the cases, the differences between high and low socioeconomic groups were statistically significant, thus indicating socioeconomic status (SES) as a significant effect modifier. Our findings indicate that children from lower socioeconomic households have a higher risk of specific respiratory health problems (chest congestion, wheezing) due to traffic volume and air pollution exposure.
authors.affiliation: Population Studies Division, Environmental Health Science & Research Bureau, Health Canada, 50 Columbine Driveway, Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9, Canada. Electronic address: sabit.cakmak@canada.ca.
authors.forename: Sabit
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cakmak
authors.affiliation: Population Studies Division, Environmental Health Science & Research Bureau, Health Canada, 50 Columbine Driveway, Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9, Canada.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hebbern
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada.
authors.forename: Jasmine D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Cakmak
authors.affiliation: Department of Geosciences, Texas Tech University, Box 41053, Lubbock, TX 79409-1053, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vanos
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000032:analysis*; D002170:Canada; D002648:Child; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011203:Poverty; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012923:Social Class; D001335:Vehicle Emissions / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D001335:Vehicle Emissions
keywords: Air pollution; Children; Effect modifier; Epidemiologic; Lung function; Respiratory health; Socioeconomics; Traffic