Vacant Housing Research Articles

The role of neighborhood deprivation in the cervicovaginal microbiota

BackgroundLactobacillus-deficient cervicovaginal microbiota is associated with spontaneous preterm birth and is more common among Black individuals. Persistent racial segregation in the United States has led to differential neighborhood exposures by race that can affect pregnancy outcomes. The extent to which neighborhood exposures may explain racial differences in the cervicovaginal microbiota is unknown. ObjectiveWe sought to determine if neighborhood deprivation, defined as material community deprivation, is associated with a Lactobacillus-deficient cervicovaginal microbiota in a prospective cohort of pregnant individuals. Our hypothesis is that racial differences in neighborhood deprivation may explain the higher prevalence of Lactobacillus-deficient cervicovaginal microbiota in Black birthing people. Design/MethodsWe analyzed data from Motherhood & Microbiome, a prospective pregnancy cohort enrolled from prenatal clinics in a single hospital system 2013-2016 in which a Lactobacillus-deficient cervicovaginal microbiota was previously shown to be associated with spontaneous preterm birth. We geocoded addresses to obtain census tract neighborhood deprivation data from the Brokamp Nationwide Community Deprivation Index that uses weighted proportions of poverty, income, public assistance, lack of health insurance, and vacant housing. Generalized linear mixed models quantified associations of deprivation with the cervicovaginal microbiota accounting for geographical clustering by census tract and potential confounders. Due to different distributions of neighborhood deprivation and the cervicovaginal microbiota, we performed race-stratified models. Mediation analyses quantified the extent to which deprivation may contribute to racial differences in the cervicovaginal microbiota. ResultsHigher neighborhood deprivation was associated with a Lactobacillus-deficient cervicovaginal microbiota. Per standard deviation increment of deprivation, participants had 28% higher adjusted odds (aOR 1.28, 95% CI: 1.04-1.58) of a Lactobacillus-deficient microbiota. Black participants had higher odds of a Lactobacillus-deficient microbiota than White participants (aOR 4.00, 95% CI: 2.05, 8.26), and mediation analysis revealed that deprivation accounted for 22% (P=0.046) of that disparity. ConclusionNeighborhood deprivation was associated a Lactobacillus-deficient cervicovaginal microbiota and may partially explain Black-White disparities in the cervicovaginal microbiota. Mechanistic studies to explore how environmental exposures modify the cervicovaginal microbiota are warranted to identify novel opportunities for future interventional strategies to prevent preterm birth. As these findings demonstrate a potential biologic impact from neighborhood conditions, policies that drive urban planning should be explored to improve pregnancy outcomes.

Rethinking industrial land-use in American rust cities towards sustainability based on a block-level model

Urban land is a fundamental but scarce resource that carries intensive human socio-economic activities. The demographic decline and housing vacancy issues that emerged with de-industrialization have raised concerns regarding the sustainable utilization of urban land resources, particularly in the American Rust Belt region. In this context, a comprehensive analysis of industrial land use can offer valuable insights to support the sustainable planning of shrinking cities. However, existing urban land research exhibits insufficient resolution at the sectoral scale and impedes the evaluation of industrial land use efficiency within the urban context. To address this gap, we established an integrated land use estimation framework for economic sectors based on multi-source data, which enables the assessment of land use efficiency at a finer sectoral scale. The method was then applied to the city of Detroit, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh. The results demonstrate that the current industrial land mix in the three cities is dominated by service-providing industries, but the land usage by goods-producing sectors in these cities presents a relatively high level of efficiency. The Moran's I value indicates a clustered tendency for the main economic sectors. The land use area results reveal that Other Services occupies the most land area in Detroit (2.29 million m2) and Cleveland (2.04 million m2). While in Pittsburgh, Professional Scientific and Technical Services (1.44 million m2) is the largest. In terms of the economic output, Management of Companies and Enterprises is the most efficient sector in Detroit (20.28 thousand $/m2) and Cleveland (29.43 thousand $/m2), while Pittsburgh's Public Administration (11.73 thousand $/m2) is the most efficient. As many other cities in the world are about to enter the era of de-industrialization or low growth, the outcomes can also serve as a reference to guide their sustainable revitalization in line with the SDGs.

Impacts of compounding drought and heatwave events on child mental health: insights from a spatial clustering analysis

BackgroundConcurrent heatwave and drought events may have larger health impacts than each event separately; however, no US-based studies have examined differential mental health impacts of compound drought and heatwave events in pediatric populations.ObjectiveTo examine the spatial patterns of mood disorders and suicide-related emergency department (ED) visits in children during heatwave, drought, and compound heatwave and drought events. We tested whether the occurrence of compound heatwave and drought events have a synergistic (multiplicative) effect on the risk of mental health related outcomes in children as compared to the additive effect of each individual climate hazard. Lastly, we identified household and community-level determinants of geographic variability of high psychiatric burden.MethodsDaily counts of psychiatric ED visits in North Carolina from 2016 to 2019 (May to Sept) for pediatric populations were aggregated at the county scale. Bernoulli cluster analyses identified high-risk spatial clusters of psychiatric morbidity during heatwave, drought, or compound heatwave and drought periods. Multivariate adaptive regression models examined the individual importance of household and community-level determinants in predicting high-risk clustering of mood disorders or suicidality across the three climate threats.ResultsResults showed significant spatial clustering of suicide and mood disorder risks in children during heatwave, drought, and compound event periods. Periods of drought were associated with the highest likelihood of spatial clustering for suicide and mood disorders, where the risk of an ED visit was 4.48 and 6.32 times higher, respectively, compared to non-drought periods. Compounding events were associated with a threefold increase in both suicide and mood disorder-related ED visits. Community and household vulnerability factors that most contributed to spatial clustering varied across climate hazards, but consistent determinants included residential segregation, green space availability, low English proficiency, overcrowding, no broadband access, no vehicle access, housing vacancy, and availability of housing units.ConclusionFindings advance understanding on the locations of vulnerable pediatric populations who are disproportionately exposed to compounding climate stressors and identify community resilience factors to target in public health adaptation strategies.

The spatial relationship between long-term vacant housing and non-communicable diseases in U.S. shrinking and growing metropolitan areas

The rising prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has led to increased attention on understanding how built environments affect NCD risks. However, there's a significant gap in the literature regarding the relationship between housing vacancy duration and NCDs in metropolitan areas with varying development rates. Our research addresses this gap by examining the association between housing vacancy duration and NCDs across all U.S. metropolitan areas, considering growing, shrinking, and fluctuating counties. We used a Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression (MGWR) model to analyze this relationship, finding that longer-term vacant housing (over 3 years) is more positively associated with NCDs compared to short-term vacancies. We also discovered that this association is non-uniform across metropolitan counties, except for cancer and stroke outcomes. Shrinking counties in the Northeast are particularly affected, emphasizing the need for targeted public health interventions in these areas. This study underscores the importance of revitalizing vacant homes, especially those vacant for over 3 years, in both shrinking and growing regions to improve public health. Policymakers should adopt tailored strategies, engage public health experts, and invest in healthcare infrastructure to effectively address the health risks linked to vacant housing.

Ethics of Care Leadership, Racial Inclusion, and Economic Health in the Cities: Is There a Female Leadership Advantage?

AbstractGrowing evidence suggests the presence of a female leadership advantage (FLA), such that women leaders tend to be associated with more effective outcomes in uncertain conditions. However, mechanisms linking women's leadership to effective outcomes are less well understood. We integrate FLA insights with ethics of care philosophical framework to conceptualize how women leaders achieve effective outcomes in the context of the urban revitalization crisis in the United States. We propose and empirically test the mediating role of ethics of care leadership in the relationship between women mayors and economic health of their cities. We used data from the Urban Institute that includes 272 United States cities and measures of variables in our conceptual model at five points in time spanning 36 years (n = 1185 city-year observations). We capture ethics of care leadership focused on racial inclusion with an index measure of a city’s racial spatial segregation, homeownership gap, poverty gap, and education gap, and we capture economic health with an index measure of a city’s employment growth, unemployment rate, housing vacancy rate, and median family income. We found that female-led cities were associated with better economic health, and this association was mediated by female-led cities’ association with greater racial inclusion. Ethics of care leadership appears to be one pathway through which a FLA manifests itself in the context of the urban revitalization crisis. This underscores the importance of city leadership that balances social and economic prerogatives. Implications are discussed.

Effect of greening vacant houses on improvement in thermal environment using ENVI-met simulation: A case study on Busan metropolitan city

This study aimed to analyze the improvement in outdoor thermal environment by greening of persistently vacant housing and open areas in a densely built old downtown area of Busan Metropolitan City using ENVI-met. Simulation was performed for a summer day by constructing four scenarios for four areas considering the building density and slope direction. The results indicate that compared to the current scenario, the concrete scenario had the worst thermal environment, where the average temperature, mean radiant temperature (MRT), and physiological equivalent temperature (PET) increased by 0.04°C, 1.49°C, and 0.51°C, respectively. In contrast, the tree scenario exhibited the most significant improvement. The average temperature, MRT, and PET decreased by 0.03°C, 1.66°C, and 0.65°C, respectively. Moreover, the removal of vacant houses in dense residential areas improved ventilation, and PET decreased by approximately 8°C locally. Planting trees higher than the demolished vacant houses mitigated the thermal environment considerably. The effect of greening was the strongest in the residential areas located on the south-facing slope with the worst thermal environment. This study provides essential data for implementing greening as a smart reduction strategy in the sustainable management of vacant houses.

Abstract 18709: Disparities in Socioeconomic Metrics Associated With Adverse Outcomes Among Medicare Beneficiaries Undergoing Peripheral Endovascular Intervention

Background Low socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with an increased incidence of peripheral artery disease, however there is a lack of granularity in the specific metrics that contribute to this discrepancy. We examine the association of community-level economic distress with adverse outcomes in patients undergoing peripheral endovascular intervention (PVI). Hypothesis: Socioeconomically distressed communities have non-healthcare-related, structural disparities that contribute to incident PVI and adverse outcomes. Methods: Medicare beneficiaries ≥66 years of age from 2016 to 2018 were evaluated to determine the incidence of femoropopliteal PVI. The Distressed Community Index (DCI) was used to categorize adults as distressed (DCI ≥80) or not distressed (DCI <80). Composite outcome of death and major amputation within 1 year of PVI were examined by level of distress using individual community-level metrics. Results: Socioeconomically distressed adults underwent 158 PVIs per 100000 distressed beneficiaries compared with 109 PVIs per 100000 non-distressed beneficiaries (risk ratio, 1.45 [95% CI, 1.42-1.48]; P<0.001). Distressed adults who underwent PVI were more likely to be female (45.5% versus 43.1%; P<0.001) and Black race (21.9% versus 10.1%; P<0.001) (Table I). There was a strong association between distress and the composite outcome at 1 year (incidence rate ratio, 1.11 [95% CI 1.07-1.16; P=0.0001]). Distressed adults lacked high school diplomas (11.88% versus 11.15%; P<0.001), had higher rates of unemployment (24.11% versus 22.76%; P<0.001), and greater housing vacancy rates (9.74% versus 9.31%; P<0.001). Conclusion: Socioeconomic distress is associated with higher rates of PVI-incidence and post-PVI adverse outcomes. This may be driven by structural inadequacies inherent to low SES communities that need to be addressed in order to narrow the gap in care among distressed adults undergoing PVI.

Does high speed railway alleviate housing vacancy rates? Evidence from smart meter data of household electricity consumption

Does high speed railway alleviate housing vacancy rates? Evidence from smart meter data of household electricity consumption

Impact of Community Socioeconomic Distress on Survival Following Heart Transplantation.

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of community-level socioeconomic deprivation on survival outcomes following heart transplantation. Despite growing awareness of socioeconomic disparities in the US health care system, significant inequities in outcomes remain. While recent literature has increasingly considered the effects of structural socioeconomic deprivation, the impact of community socioeconomic distress on outcomes following heart transplantation has not yet been elucidated. All adult heart transplant recipients from 2004 to 2022 were ascertained from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. Community socioeconomic distress was assessed using the previously validated Distressed Communities Index, a metric that represents education level, housing vacancies, unemployment, poverty rate, median household income, and business growth by zip code. Communities in the highest quintile were considered the Distressed cohort (others: Non-Distressed ). Outcomes were considered across 2 eras (2004-2018 and 2019-2022) to account for the 2018 UNOS Policy Change. Three- and 5-year patient and graft survival were assessed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards models. Of 36,777 heart transplants, 7450 (20%) were considered distressed . Following adjustment, distressed recipients demonstrated a greater hazard of 5-year mortality from 2004 to 2018 [hazard ratio (HR)=1.10, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03-1.18; P =0.005] and 3-year mortality from 2019 to 2022 (HR=1.29, 95% CI: 1.10-1.51; P =0.002), relative to nondistressed . Similarly, the distressed group was associated with increased hazard of graft failure at 5 years from 2004 to 2018 (HR=1.10, 95% CI: 1.03-1.18; P =0.003) and at 3 years from 2019 to 2022 (HR=1.31, 95% CI: 1.11-1.53; P =0.001). Community-level socioeconomic deprivation is linked with inferior patient and graft survival following heart transplantation. Future interventions are needed to address pervasive socioeconomic inequities in transplantation outcomes.

Quantifying the impacts of suburbanization without growth on central city housing vacancy

AbstractScholars have written descriptively about the relationship between suburbanization and central city decline. However, research has not produced systematic, quantitative estimates of the relationships between the components of suburbanization and vacancy—generally or amid urban decline. Such estimates are required to design effective policies that could protect against the social inequalities associated with such development patterns. This paper applies an economic framework of suburbanization and vacancy to 99 urbanized areas in the United States to estimate the impact on central city residential vacancy from 2013 to 2019. The results support the central hypothesis, that regional over‐building contributes to central city vacancy, and that this impact is significantly magnified by the context of decline. Results show regional over‐building causes central city vacancy in Shrinking Cities at 9.6 times the effect observed in other Principal Cities. Ameliorating factors vary between Shrinking and Non‐Shrinking contexts.

Heart transplantation in patients from socioeconomically distressed communities

Studies examining heart transplantation disparities have focused on individual factors such as race or insurance status. We characterized the impact of a composite community socioeconomic disadvantage index on heart transplantation outcomes. From the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR), we identified 49,340 primary, isolated adult heart transplant candidates and 32,494 recipients (2005-2020). Zip code-level socioeconomic disadvantage was characterized usingtheDistressed Community Index (DCI: 0-most prosperous, 100-most distressed) based on education, poverty, unemployment, housing vacancies, median income, and business growth. Patients from distressed communities (DCI≥80) were compared to all others. Patients from distressed communities were more often non-white, less educated, and had public insurance (all p<0.01). Distressed patients were more likely to require ventricular assist devices at listing (29.4 vs27.1%) and before transplant (44.8 vs42.0%, both p<0.001), and they underwent transplants at lower-volume centers (23 vs26 cases/year, p<0.01). Distressed patients had higher 1-year waitlist mortality or deterioration (12.3% [95% confidence interval (CI) 11.6-13.0] vs10.9% [95% CI 10.5-11.3]) and inferior 5-year survival (75.3% [95% CI 74.0-76.5] vs79.5% [95% CI 79.0-80.0]) (both p<0.001). After adjustment, living in a distressed community was independently associated with an increased risk of waitlist mortality or deterioration hazard ratio(HR 1.10, 95% CI 1.02-1.18) and post-transplant mortality (HR 1.13, 95% CI 1.06-1.20). Patients from socioeconomically distressed communities have worse waitlist and post-transplant mortality. These findings should not be used to limit access to heart transplantation, but rather highlight the need for further studies to elucidate mechanisms underlying the impact of community-level socioeconomic disparity.

Indicators of Neighborhood-Level Socioeconomic Position and Pediatric Critical Illness

With recent prioritization of equity in pediatric health outcomes, a shift to examine neighborhood-level health care disparities within pediatric populations has occurred, specifically in the context of critical illness. Does an association exist between individual indicators of neighborhood-level disadvantage and incidence of PICU admission? Pediatric patients younger than 18 years admitted to a PICU in a large urban tertiary pediatric hospital from January 1, 2016, through December 31, 2019, with a residential address in the city of Baltimore or Baltimore County on the day of admission were included in this ecological study. Demographic and clinical characteristics of children admitted to the PICU were summarized, with the primary outcome being PICU admission. Unadjusted negative binomial regression was used to examine the association between census tract-level PICU admissions and the previously described census tract-level indicators of neighborhood socioeconomic position. Regression models included an offset term for the population younger than 18 years for each census tract; results of models are reported as incidence rate ratios (IRRs) with corresponding 95%CIs. We identified 2,476 PICU admissions: 1,351 patients from the city of Baltimore (10.25 per 1,000 children) and 1,125 patients from Baltimore County (6.31 per 1,000 children). Most PICU admissions (n= 906 [68%]) for the city of Baltimore represented an area deprivation index (ADI) of > 60, whereas most Baltimore County PICU admissions (n= 919 [82.3%]) represented an ADI of< 60. At the neighborhood level, the percentage of families living below the poverty line was associated with greater incidence of PICU admission in the city of Baltimore (IRR, 1.09; 95%CI, 1.00-1.18) and Baltimore County (IRR, 1.19; 95%CI, 1.05-1.36). For every $10,000 increase in median household income, PICU admission rates dropped by 9%for the city of Baltimore (IRR, 0.91; 95%CI, 0.86-0.95) and Baltimore County (IRR, 0.91; 95%CI, 0.88-0.94). Neighborhoods with vacant housing units also were associated with a higher incidence of PICU admission in the city of Baltimore (IRR, 1.10; 95%CI, 1.01-1.21) and Baltimore County (IRR, 1.46; 95%CI, 1.21-1.77), as was a 10%increase in occupied homes without vehicles (city of Baltimore: IRR, 1.14; 95%CI, 1.07-1.21; Baltimore County: IRR, 1.23; 95%CI, 1.11-1.37). Health outcomes of pediatric critical illness should be examined in the context of structural determinants of health, including neighborhood-level and environmental characteristics.

Lung transplantation outcomes in patients from socioeconomically distressed communities

Previous studies have demonstrated racial and gender disparities in lung allocation, but contemporary data regarding socioeconomic disparities in post-transplant outcomes are lacking. We evaluated the impact of a composite socioeconomic disadvantage index on post-transplant outcomes. The Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients identified 27,763 adult patients undergoing isolated primary lung transplantation between 2005 and 2020. Zip code-level socioeconomic distress was characterized using the Distressed Communities Index (DCI: 0-no distress, 100-severe distress) based on education level, poverty, unemployment, housing vacancies, median income, and business growth, and patients were stratified into high (DCI ≥60) or low (DCI <60) distressed groups. Recipients from high-distress communities (n=8006, 28.8%) were younger (59years [interquartile range {IQR} 50-64] vs 61years [IQR 52-66]), less often white (73 vs 85%), less likely to have a college degree (45 vs 59%), and more likely to have public insurance (57 vs 49%, all p<0.001) compared to those from low-distress communities. Additionally, high-distress recipients were more likely to have group A diagnoses (32 vs 27%) and undergo bilateral lung transplants (72.4 vs 69.3%, all p<0.001). Post-transplant survival at 5years was 55.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 54.4-56.9) in high-distress recipients and 58.2% (95% CI: 57.4-58.9) in low-distress recipients (p=0.003). After adjustment, high distress level was independently associated with an increased risk of 5-year mortality (hazard ratio:1.09, 95% CI:1.04-1.15). Recipients from distressed communities are at increased mortality risk following lung transplantation. Efforts should be focused on increased resource allocation and further study to better understand factors which may mitigate this disparity.

Housing abandonment and socio-spatial inequalities: experience from a shrinking inner-city area of Incheon, South Korea

Housing abandonment is one of the most distinct characteristics of urban shrinkage. Previous research has investigated the extent and process of abandonment in the United States and Europe’s former industrialized centers. However, little is known about its features in places that have recently seen rapid urbanization. The study examines the relationship between vacant houses and a variety of urban factors, further expanding it to the perspective of spatial inequality. The multilevel logistic regression model was applied after constructing a new parcel-level dataset of vacant houses in Incheon, South Korea. The findings showed that spatially selective patterns of housing abandonment occurred at the intra-downtown level. Older, smaller, and less-accessible residential buildings were more vulnerable to abandonment. Failed large-scale redevelopment attempts fueled the emergence of vacant housing clusters. Vacant houses were associated not only with the collapse of industrial and commercial activities, but also with an unsustainable population structure. The results suggest the necessity for vacant house management plans tailored to neighborhood characteristics, especially for vacant house clusters, and a greater emphasis on socio-demographic dynamics such as age and generation in relation to urban shrinkage.

Steam cracker facilities in the United States: operations, emissions, and sociodemographic patterns of surrounding populations

Background: Production of shale gas in the United States (US) increased more than 10-fold from 2008 to 2021, yielding greater quantities of hydrocarbon feedstocks and incentivizing expansion of petrochemical facilities. Steam crackers (SCs) convert hydrocarbon feedstocks into ethylene and propylene (the building blocks of plastics), while releasing toxic chemicals and greenhouse gases (GHGs). Analyses of environmental health and justice impacts of SCs are limited. Methods: We described SC operations, locations, and emissions, and evaluated sociodemographic characteristics of populations residing near SCs to better understand potential public health hazards and inform future studies. We summarized and described industry-reported emissions from the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxic Release Inventory and GHG Reporting Program. We compared population characteristics of US Census block groups ⩽5 km and >5 km from a steam cracker-containing facility (SCF) within the same county. Results: We identified 32 SCFs across five US states, with most in Texas and Louisiana. Toxic chemicals with the greatest reported cumulative air emissions in 1987–2019 were: ethylene, propylene, hydrochloric acid, benzene, n-hexane, 1,3-butadiene, ammonia, toluene, vinyl acetate, and methanol. Reported total annual GHG emissions were 4% higher in 2019 versus 2010, with total GHG emissions of >650 million metric tons (carbon dioxide equivalents) in 2010–2019. We found that 752 465 people live in census block groups ⩽5 km from an SCF, regardless of county. Compared to block groups >5 km away within the same county, block groups closer to SCFs had statistically significantly lower median incomes ($54 843 vs $67 866) and more vacant housing (15% vs 11%), and higher proportions of residents who were non-Hispanic Black (31% vs 19%) and unemployed (8% vs 6%). Conclusion: SCs emit substantial amounts of GHGs and toxic chemicals in locations with historically disadvantaged populations. Future research could further evaluate the accuracy of reported emissions, conduct monitoring in proximate communities, and assess population-level health impacts.

Longitudinal profiles of neighborhood socioeconomic vulnerability influence blood pressure changes across the female midlife period.

To examine whether longitudinal exposure to neighborhood socioeconomic vulnerability influences blood pressure changes throughout midlife in a racially, ethnically, and geographically-diverse cohort of women transitioning through menopause. We used longitudinal data on 2738 women (age 42-52at baseline) living in six United States cities from The Study of Women's Health Across the Nation. Residential histories, systolic blood pressures (SBP), and diastolic blood pressures (DBP) were collected annually for ten years. We used longitudinal latent profile analysis to identify patterns of neighborhood socioeconomic vulnerability occurring from 1996 to 2007 in participant neighborhoods. We used linear mixed-effect models to determine if a woman's neighborhood profile throughout midlife was associated with blood pressure changes. We identified four unique profiles of neighborhood socioeconomic vulnerability - differentiated by residential socioeconomic status, population density, and vacant housing conditions - which remained stable across time. Women residing in the most socioeconomically vulnerable neighborhoods experienced the steepest increase in annual SBP growth by 0.93mmHg/year (95% CI: 0.65-1.21) across ten-year follow-up. Neighborhood socioeconomic vulnerability was significantly associated with accelerated SBP increases throughout midlife among women.

Assessment and driving factor of housing vacancies in Shandong Peninsula urban agglomeration based on multi-source remote sensing data

As the urbanization rate in the world has increased rapidly, the housing vacancy problem has become serious and attracting more attention. Calculating and analyzing vacant housing can help reduce the wasteful use of resources. This paper measures the housing vacancy rate and housing vacancy stock in the Shandong Peninsula urban agglomeration using night-time lighting and land use data. The results show that the average housing vacancy rate in the Shandong Peninsula urban agglomeration rose rapidly from 14.68% in 2000 to 29.71% in 2015 before declining slowly to 29.49% in 2020. Since urban population growth is lower than the housing construction rate, the average annual growth of housing vacancy stock between 2000 and 2020 exceeds 3 million square meters in megacities and is around 1–2 million square meters in large and medium-sized cities. The vacant housing has caused considerable waste of housing resources. The driving factors of the housing vacancy were further analyzed using the LMDI decomposition method. Results indicate that the economic development level is the most significant driving factor of the vacant housing stock. In addition, the value effect of unit floor areas is the major driving factor inhibiting the growth of vacant housing stock, while the decline of unit floor area value is conducive to the reduction of this stock.

34 Evaluation of Socioeconomic Status and Burn Injuries: A Retrospective Review From a Desert Burn Center

Abstract Introduction Incidence of burn injury rate appears to be affected by socioeconomic status (SES). Previous studies have indicated that patients with low SES have an increased risk of unintentional burn injuries. However, this association has not been explored robustly in the Southwest United States. This study aims to investigate the relationship between SES and burn injuries amongst patients in the Southwest United States. Methods A retrospective registry review was performed on all burn injury admissions to our ABA verified burn center from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2021. Their zip code was then inputted into the Distressed Communities Index (DCI). This is a national database that stratifies communities by zip code into quintiles, indicating overall distress. The DCI was used as a measure of SES as it reflects employment status, education level, poverty rate, median income, business growth, and housing vacancies. Patients who did not report an accurate residential zip code or reported a zip code not included in the DCI were excluded. Many clinical variables were reviewed within each quintile including age, gender, total body surface area (TBSA), ICU days, hospital length of stay (LOS), ventilator days, surgical interventions, and discharge disposition. Student’s t-test and Chi-squared tests were used to compare groups, and statistical significance was defined at p &amp;lt; 0.05. Results A total of 1,323 patients were identified in the study period. The most distressed quintile accounted for 481 (36.4%) admissions. Flame and contact burns were the most common etiology overall (46.5%), as well as within each quintile (Figure 1). The distribution of burn injury etiology was statistically significant by age, %TBSA, gender, race, and ethnicity (p &amp;lt; 0.001, Table 1); however, it was not significant by SES (p = 0.202). Burn severity, categorized as less than or equal to second degree burns, or greater than or equal to third degree burns, showed significance when compared to age, LOS, ICU days, ventilator days, and total surgical interventions performed (p &amp;lt; 0.001). However, the association between SES and burn severity was not found to be significant (p = 0.886). Conclusions The two most distressed quintiles represented over half of the burn admissions. A lower SES did not contribute to increased burn severity or utilization of healthcare resources. This study highlighted differences in burn injuries between age, gender, race, and ethnicity. Applicability of Research to Practice Identifying communities at increased risk for burn injuries can help with public health initiatives, focused on awareness and prevention of these injuries.

The impact of neighborhood disadvantage on colorectal cancer screening among African Americans in Chicago

Historically, colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates have been lower among African Americans. Previous studies that have examined the relationship between community characteristics and adherence to CRC screening have generally focused on a single community parameter, making it challenging to evaluate the overall impact of the social and built environment. In this study, we will estimate the overall effect of social and built environment and identify the most important community factors relevant to CRC screening. Data are from the Multiethnic Prevention and Surveillance Study (COMPASS), a longitudinal study among adults in Chicago, collected between May 2013 to March 2020. A total 2,836 African Americans completed the survey. Participants’ addresses were geocoded and linked to seven community characteristics (i.e., community safety, community crime, household poverty, community unemployment, housing cost burden, housing vacancies, low food access). A structured questionnaire measured adherence to CRC screening. Weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression was used to evaluate the impact of community disadvantages on CRC screening. When analyzing all community characteristics as a mixture, overall community disadvantage was associated with less adherence to CRC screening even after controlling for individual-level factors. In the adjusted WQS model, unemployment was the most important community characteristic (37.6%), followed by community insecurity (26.1%) and severe housing cost burden (16.3%). Results from this study indicate that successful efforts to improve adherence to CRC screening rates should prioritize individuals living in communities with high rates of insecurity and low socioeconomic status.

Monitoring House Vacancy Dynamics in The Pearl River Delta Region: A Method Based on NPP-VIIRS Night-Time Light Remote Sensing Images

Urban spatial interaction integrates cities into closely related urban network systems in continuous urban regions. However, it also brings differentiation and has mutual negative impacts between each location. Unbalanced development is one such impacts and needs closely monitoring. The housing vacancy rate (HVR) in a continuous urban region is an important index in the unbalanced development of a continuous urban region since it indicates the uneven distribution of population and investment across cities. This study uses NPP-VIIRS NTL data and Landsat 8 OLT images to estimate HVRs at the district level. Additionally, this study tracks the spatial–temporal dynamics of HVR distributions in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region. The comparison between the sampled HVRs and estimated HVRs verifies the effectiveness of the estimated HVRs in identifying dynamic changes in HVRs. This study has found that although overall decreasing HVRs are observed in the PRD, speculations and irrational real estate investment exist in cities on the west bank of the Pearl River Estuary and in some isolated districts in other cities. Furthermore, increasing proportions of vacant pixels in most cities indicate rising real estate development, requiring further supervision. This study suggests that more precise data and advanced techniques could help to improve the accuracy of the estimation techniques.