Asthma and Environmental Justice at Ezra Prentice Homes: The South End Community Health Survey

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Ezra Prentice Homes (EP) is a public housing complex located in the industrial, southernmost tip of Albany, NY, dissected by a busy state highway and adjacent to the Port of Albany. Residents, community leaders, and environmental activists drew attention to residents’ environmental health concerns and residents requested a community-based health survey. In response to this attention, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation launched the Albany South End Community Air Quality Study, observing traffic related air pollutants (TRAPs) at ‘considerably higher’ levels in the EP community compared to the rest of the neighborhood (Report October 2019). AIM: Measure the impact of living at Ezra Prentice homes on asthma prevalence. METHODS: The South End Community Health Survey of EP households, in partnership with local community-based organizations, began in 2016. A Resident Outreach Worker (ROWs) model was developed. ROWs connected with neighbors, introduced the survey, and created appointments for graduate students to administer an in-depth health survey. In 2018, it expanded to Creighton Storey Homes (CS), a public housing complex in a residential section of the South End that is surrounded by green space, to capture data from a demographically similar group. RESULTS:119 households (301 individuals) from EP (66%) and 66 households (164 individuals) from CS (52%) participated. When tested by z-score for 2 population proportions, the number of children under 18 with active asthma was significantly higher at EP (34%) than CS (18%) (p=.02). A similar pattern was observed for all ages combined: 34% and 21%, p=.0002, respectively. CONCLUSIONS:Initial analysis of the South End Community Health Study data observed significantly higher rates of asthma at a public housing complex where elevated TRAPs have been documented. Analyses adjusted for race and smoking status will be explored. Results will be shared with the community to inform future policy. KEYWORDS: Environmental justice, asthma, traffic-related air pollutants (TRAPS), public housing