Large US Cities Research Articles

Correlations between thermal satisfaction and non-thermal conditions of indoor environmental quality: Bayesian inference of a field study of offices

The judgment of thermal comfort is a cognitive process influenced by physical, psychological and other factors. Prior studies have suggested that occupants who are generally satisfied with many non-thermal conditions of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) are also more likely to be satisfied with thermal conditions as well. This paper applies Bayesian logistic regression to identify and predict the independent relationship between non-thermal metrics of IEQ, such as CO2 concentrations, noise levels, and light levels, and perceived thermal comfort. The study is the first to do so with respect to a large field study. The regression analysis is done against a dataset of objective and subjective IEQ measurements collected from 779 occupants of open-plan offices in large Canadian and US cities. The results suggest there is evidence supporting a view that measurements of indoor CO2 concentrations and indoor speech intelligibility are correlated with perceived thermal satisfaction. For example, a posteriori predictions drawn from the regression model suggest that, under the same psychrometric conditions (i.e., operative temperature = 23 °C, relative humidity = 30%, etc.), occupants experiencing indoor CO2 concentrations of 500 ppm were ~30 ± 8% more likely to state they felt thermally satisfied than occupants experiencing indoor conditions at 900 ppm.

The Climate Change-Temperature-Crime Hypothesis: Evidence from a Sample of 15 Large US Cities, 2002 to 2015.

Drawing on prior studies, green criminologists have hypothesized that climate change will both raise the mean temperature and the level of crime. We call this the "climate change-temperature-crime hypothesis" ("CC-T-C"). This hypothesis is an extension of research performed on temperature and crime at the individual level. Other research explores this relationship by testing for the relationship between seasonality and crime within a given period of time (i.e., within years). Climate change, however, produces small changes in temperature over long periods of time, and in this view, the effect of climate change on crime should be assessed across and not within years. In addition, prior CC-T-C studies sometimes employ large geographic aggregations (e.g., the entire whole United States), which masks the CC-T-C association that appears at lower levels of aggregation. Moreover, globally, crime has declined across nations since the early 1990s, during a period of rising mean global temperatures, suggesting that the CC-T-C hypothesis does not fit the general trends in temperature and crime over time. Addressing these issues, the present study assesses the CC-T-C relationship for a sample of 15 large (N = 15) US cities over a 14-year period. Given the CC-T-C hypothesis parameters, we assessed this relationship using correlations between individual crime and temperature trends for each city. Crime trends were measured by both the number and rate of eight Uniform Crime Report (UCR) Part I crimes, so that for each city, there are 16 crime-temperature correlations. Using a liberal p value (p = .10), the temperature-crime correlations were rejected as insignificant in 220 of the 234 tests (94%). We discuss the Implications of this finding and suggest that rather than focusing on the temperature-crime relationship, green criminologists interested in the deleterious effects of climate change draw attention to its larger social, economic, environmental and ecological justice implications.

COVID-19 and Parent-Child Psychological Well-being.

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 has changed American society in ways that are difficult to capture in a timely manner. With this study, we take advantage of daily survey data collected before and after the crisis started to investigate the hypothesis that the crisis has worsened parents' and children's psychological well-being. We also examine the extent of crisis-related hardships and evaluate the hypothesis that the accumulation of hardships will be associated with parent and child psychological well-being. Daily survey data were collected between February 20 and April 27, 2020, from hourly service workers with a young child (aged 2-7) in a large US city (N = 8222 person-days from 645 individuals). A subsample completed a one-time survey about the effects of the crisis fielded between March 23 and April 26 (subsample n = 561). Ordered probit models revealed that the frequency of parent-reported daily negative mood increased significantly since the start of the crisis. Many families have experienced hardships during the crisis, including job loss, income loss, caregiving burden, and illness. Both parents' and children's well-being in the postcrisis period was strongly associated with the number of crisis-related hardships that the family experienced. Consistent with our hypotheses, in families that have experienced multiple hardships related to the coronavirus disease 2019 crisis, both parents' and children's mental health is worse. As the crisis continues to unfold, pediatricians should screen for mental health, with particular attention to children whose families are especially vulnerable to economic and disease aspects of the crisis.

Ambient temperature and intentional homicide: A multi-city case-crossover study in the US

BackgroundThere has been an increasing interest in the association between ambient temperature and violence and crime, in the context of global warming. We aimed to evaluate the association between daily ambient temperature and intentional homicide—a proxy for overall inter-personal violence. MethodsWe collected daily weather and crime data from 9 large US cities (Chicago, Detroit, Fort Worth, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Louisville, New York, Tucson and Virginia Beach) from 2007 to 2017. A time-stratified case-crossover design was used. The associations were quantified by conditional logistic regression with distributed lag models, adjusting for relative humidity, precipitation and effects of public holidays. City-specific odds ratios (OR) were used to calculate the attributable fractions in each city. ResultsBased on 19,523 intentional homicide cases, we found a linear temperature-homicide association. Every 5 °C increase in daily mean temperature was associated with a 9.5% [95% confidence interval (CI): 4.3–15.0%] and 8.8% (95% CI: 1.5–16.6%) increase in intentional homicide over lag 0–7 days in Chicago and New York, respectively. The association was not statistically significant in the other seven cities and seemed to be stronger for cases that happened during the hot season, at night (18:00–06:00) and on the street. During the study period, 8.7% (95%CI: 4.3–12.7%) and 7.1% (95% CI: 1.4–12.0%) intentional homicide cases could be attributed to temperatures above city-specific median temperatures, corresponding to 488 and 316 excess cases in Chicago and New York, respectively. ConclusionsOur study suggests that the interpersonal violence might increase with temperature in some US cities. We also provide some insights into the mechanisms and targeted prevention strategies for heat-related violence.

Online Simulation Model to Estimate the Total Costs of Tobacco Product Waste in Large U.S. Cities.

Tobacco product waste (TPW) is one of the most ubiquitous forms of litter, accumulating in large amounts on streets, highways, sidewalks, beaches, parks, and other public places, and flowing into storm water drains, waste treatment plants, and solid waste collection facilities. In this paper, we evaluate the direct and indirect costs associated with TPW in the 30 largest U.S. cities. We first developed a conceptual framework for the analysis of direct and indirect costs of TPW abatement. Next, we applied a simulation model to estimate the total costs of TPW in major U.S. cities. This model includes data on city population, smoking prevalence rates, and per capita litter mitigation costs. Total annual TPW-attributable mean costs for large US cities range from US$4.7 million to US$90 million per year. Costs are generally proportional to population size, but there are exceptions in cities that have lower smoking prevalence rates. The annual mean per capita TPW cost for the 30 cities was US$6.46, and the total TPW cost for all 30 cities combined was US$264.5 million per year. These estimates for the TPW-attributable cost are an important data point in understanding the negative economic externalities created by cigarette smoking and resultant TPW cleanup costs. This model provides a useful tool for states, cities, and other jurisdictions with which to evaluate a new economic cost outcome of smoking and to develop new laws and regulations to reduce this burden.

Early Puberty and Telomere Length in Preadolescent Girls and Mothers

To test the association between early puberty and telomere length in preadolescent girls and mothers from a large representative sample of US females. We analyzed data from 1194 preadolescent girls and 2421 mothers from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. Participants were from a population-based birth cohort (1998-2000) born in large US cities. Telomere length was assessed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction from saliva samples provided by preadolescent girls and mothers of preadolescent youth. Mothers completed a questionnaire about their child's pubertal development to determine concurrent Tanner stages and provided self-reports of her own age at menarche. Linear regression models were used to estimate the association between pubertal development (status and timing) and telomere length. Early pubertal timing but not pubertal status was associated with shorter telomere length in preadolescent girls (P<.01). Early age at menarche was associated with shorter telomere length in a sample of mothers of preadolescent youth (P<.05). Results provide evidence for the association between early puberty and shorter telomeres evidenced by associations in both preadolescent girls and mothers. Future research should address the limitations of this study by using longitudinal measurements of pubertal development assessed through medical examinations and repeated assessments of telomere length to capture telomere attrition.

0360 Neighborhood Disadvantage is Associated with Lower Quality Sleep and More Variability in Weeknight Sleep Duration Among Urban Adolescents

Abstract Introduction Differential social and contextual environments may contribute to adolescent sleep disparities. Yet, most prior studies are limited to self-reported sleep data, and the actigraphic studies of sleep are not conducted at a national level, thus limiting the variation in neighborhood contexts. This study examined the association between neighborhood disadvantage and actigraphic assessment of adolescent sleep. Methods Participants (682 adolescents, mean age 15.4 years) were racially/ethnically diverse (44% Black, 26% Hispanic, 17% White, 14% other race/ethnicity), sampled from 20 large US cities in the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. Neighborhood disadvantage was calculated from American Community Survey 2015 census data using the Standardized Neighborhood Deprivation Index (SNDI), consolidating five variables (proportion of female-headed households, public assistance recipients, households in poverty, adults without high school degrees, and unemployed) into an index. SNDI quartiles 1-3 fell below national averages of SNDI variables (“most disadvantaged”) and were compared to quartile 4 (“least disadvantaged”). Sleep indicators (duration, quality, and timing) were measured over ≥5 nights using wrist-worn accelerometers. Separate multilevel models estimated differences in sleep indicators, adjusting for weekday/weekend and summer/school year. General linear models used within-person standard deviations of sleep indicators (controlling for number of days) to test for associations between neighborhood disadvantage and consistency of weeknight sleep patterns. Models adjusted for individual-level sociodemographic covariates (age, sex, race/ethnicity, household income, caregiver education, and family structure). Results In fully adjusted models, adolescents living in more disadvantaged neighborhoods spent more time awake after falling asleep (4.0 minutes/night, p&amp;lt;0.05), spent greater percentage of nighttime sleep intervals awake (1%, p&amp;lt;.01), and had less consistent sleep duration (11.7% higher standard deviation, p&amp;lt;.05). Sleep duration and timing did not differ across neighborhood groups. Conclusion Living in more disadvantaged neighborhoods is associated with lower quality adolescent sleep; more research is needed to identify causal mechanisms. Support Research was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), award numbers R01HD073352 (PI: Hale), R01HD36916, R01HD39135, and R01 HD40421, and private foundations. The content is the responsibility of the authors and does not represent official NIH views.

Evaluation of recorded video-observed therapy for anti-tuberculosis treatment.

BACKGROUND: Asynchronous video directly observed therapy (VDOT) may reduce tuberculosis (TB) program costs and the burden on patients. We compared VDOT performance across three cities in the United States, each of which have TB incidence rates above the national average.METHODS: Patients aged ≥18 years who are currently receiving directly observed anti-TB treatment were invited to use VDOT for monitoring treatment. Pre- and post-treatment interviews and medical records were used to assess site differences in treatment adherence and patient characteristics and perceptions.RESULTS: Participants were enrolled in New York City, NY (n = 48), San Diego, CA (n = 52) and San Francisco, CA, USA (n = 49). Overall, the mean age was 41 years (range 18-87); 59% were male; most were Asian (45%) or Hispanic/Latino (30%); and 77% were foreign-born. The median fraction of expected doses observed (FEDO) was 88% (IQR 76-96). At follow-up, 97% thought VDOT was "very or somewhat easy to use" and 95% would recommend VDOT to other TB patients. Age, race/ethnicity, annual income, and country of birth differed by city (P < 0.05), but FEDO and VDOT perceptions did not.CONCLUSIONS: TB programs in three large US cities observed a high FEDO using VDOT while minimizing staff time and travel. Similar findings across sites support VDOT adoption by other large, urban TB programs.

The Gendered Effects of Local Immigration Enforcement: Latinas' Social Isolation in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and Phoenix.

The 2017 revitalization of the controversial Security Communities program, which requires local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration officials in the United States, has made it urgent to better understand such enforcement programs' effects on the well-being of Latinas/os, especially the foreign-born. Social isolation from increased immigration enforcement can have significant impacts on economic, social, and health outcomes among Latina/o immigrants and non-immigrants. This article analyzes the gendered impacts of different levels of increased local involvement in immigration enforcement on social isolation, using a survey of over 2000 Latinas/os in four large US cities, all considered to be traditional destinations. Unsurprisingly, respondents reported increased social isolation resulting from local law enforcement's involvement in immigration enforcement. In contrast to results from previous research, our analysis found that women and men were equally likely to feel socially isolated and that having children led to more social isolation for both women and men. Personal and vicarious experiences with immigration enforcement, as well as living in Phoenix and Houston - two urban areas with the strictest enforcement regimes - were strongly related to social isolation. Our results indicate that local authorities' increased involvement in immigration enforcement can lead to more social isolation for Latina immigrants, particularly those who have children, aligning their experiences with men's and, thus, undermining Latinas' previously recognized role as bridges between their families and social institutions and as community builders.

Association of Adverse Childhood Experiences With Childhood Atopic Dermatitis in the United States.

Traumatic and stressful events of childhood, known as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), have been associated with numerous health outcomes. However, little is known about ACEs in atopic dermatitis (AD) patients. We sought to determine the relationship between ACEs and childhood AD. Data were analyzed from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a longitudinal birth cohort study that followed 4898 women and their children born in large US cities. Multivariable weighted logistic regression models adjusting for sociodemographics were constructed to determine the associations of ACEs with AD prevalence at ages 5, 9, and 15 years. Children who experienced 1 ACE (multivariable logistic regression; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.42; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.08-1.86), 2 ACEs (1.49; 95% CI, 1.10-2.02), or 3 or more ACEs (2.10; 95% CI, 1.52-2.89) had significantly increased odds of AD history compared with children without ACEs at age 5 years. Children who experienced 3 or more ACEs (1.48; 95% CI, 1.09-2.01) had significantly increased odds of AD history compared with children without ACEs at age 9 years. There were no significant associations between ACEs and history of AD at age 15 years. In conclusion, ACE exposures are related to childhood AD across time. Children who experience a greater number of ACEs have higher prevalence of AD.

Accounting for central neighborhood change, 1980–2010

After 1980–2000 population decline and economic stagnation, downtown neighborhoods in most large US cities experienced 2000–2010 population growth and gentrification. Stark racial differences in valuations of downtown amenities and suburban labor market opportunities among those with less than college that only emerged after 2000 are the primary drivers of these downtown neighborhood dynamics. As college-educated whites moved in, increases in valuations of downtown amenities encouraged other whites to remain in downtowns, a reversal from prior decades. Continued departures of less than college educated minorities were driven both by relative improvements in suburban employment opportunities for this group and their continued declines in valuations of downtown amenities. Our evidence highlights the importance of racial differences in valuations of potentially endogenous local amenities for understanding recent downtown gentrification.

Violence exposure and social deprivation is associated with cortisol reactivity in urban adolescents

The present study tested how two different dimensions of childhood adversity, violence exposure and social deprivation, were associated with the cortisol response to the Socially Evaluated Cold-Pressor task in a sample of 222 adolescents (n = 117 girls, n = 167 African American). Participants were part of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a probability sample of births in large US cities (>200,000) between 1998 and 2000. Our subsample includes births in three cities: Detroit, Toledo, and Chicago. The study design called for an oversampling of births to unmarried parents (3:1) which led to a large number of minority and economically disadvantaged adolescents. When children were ages 3, 5, and 9, mothers reported on exposures to violence and social deprivation that occurred in the past year. Exposures from the three waves were averaged to reflect violence exposure and social deprivation during childhood. Greater levels of violence exposure from ages 3 to 9 were associated with a blunted cortisol response to stress at age 15, even after controlling for social deprivation and other factors known to influence cortisol reactivity. Social deprivation from ages 3 to 9 was not associated with the cortisol response to stress; though in an exploratory analysis, social deprivation moderated the association between violence exposure and cortisol peak activation. In line with the Dimensional Model of Adversity and Psychopathology, these findings suggest that experiences of violence, but not social deprivation, during childhood may contribute to cortisol blunting that has been previously reported in samples with high levels of social deprivation. Findings from the present longitudinal study on a relatively large sample of under-represented minority youth provide insight into the ways two different dimensions of childhood adversity impact the cortisol response to stress.

Obesity prevalence in large US cities: association with socioeconomic indicators, race/ethnicity and physical activity.

Obesity has a complex association with socioeconomic factors. Further clarification of this association could guide population interventions. To determine the relationship between obesity prevalence, socioeconomic indicators, race/ethnicity, and physical activity, we performed a cross-sectional, multivariable linear regression, with data from large US cities participating in the Big Cities Health Inventory. Increased household income was significantly associated with decreased obesity prevalence, for White (-1.97% per 10 000USD), and Black (-3.02% per 10 000USD) populations, but not Hispanic. These associations remained significant when controlling for the proportion of the population meeting physical activity guidelines. Educational attainment had a co-linear relationship with income, and only a bachelor's degree or higher was associated with a lower prevalence of obesity in White (-0.30% per percentage) and Black (-0.69% per percentage) populations. No association was found between obesity prevalence and the proportion of the population meeting physical activity guidelines for any race/ethnicity grouping. At the population level of large US cities, obesity prevalence is inversely associated with median household income in White and Black populations. Strategies to increase socioeconomic status may also decrease obesity. Targeting attainment of physical activity guidelines as an obesity intervention needs further appraisal.

Big City Health Officials' Conceptualizations of Health Equity.

Senior health officials of local health departments are uniquely positioned to provide transformational leadership on health disparities and inequities. This study aimed to understand how senior health officials in large US cities define health equity and its relationship with disparities and characterize these senior health officials' perceptions of using health equity and disparity language in local public health practice. In 2016, we used a general inductive qualitative design and conducted 23 semistructured interviews with leaders of large local health departments. Thematic content analysis was conducted using NVivo 11. A purposive sample of senior health officials from Big Cities Health Coalition cities. Health equity was conceptualized fairly consistently among senior health officials in big cities. Core elements of these conceptualizations include social and economic conditions, the input and redistribution of resources, equity in practice, values of justice and fairness, and equity as an outcome to be achieved. Senior health officials saw health disparity and health inequity as distinct but related concepts. Relationships between concepts included disparities data to identify and prioritize inequities, inequities creating health disparities, health equity to eliminate disparities, and disparities becoming inequities when their root causes are unjust. Some respondents critiqued health equity terminology for representing a superficial change, being inaccessible, and being politically loaded. Understanding how senior health officials conceptualize health equity and disparities can focus policy priorities, resources, and the scope of work undertaken by local health departments. Having a common language for health equity allows for policy and resource advocacy to promote the health of marginalized populations.

The aspirin unit: confronting a hostile political context through chemistry curriculum

This article presents a case study of “the aspirin unit,” a curriculum unit from an advanced chemistry class in a neighborhood high school in a large US city. The extended case method is applied to analyze this curriculum within the larger US political context that criminalizes youth of color. Data sources include retrospective interviews with students, student work, and the teacher-researcher’s archival records. There is evidence that this unit was meaningful to students, effectively framed opportunities for them to learn canonical science, and prompted them to consider the sociopolitical implications of their science education. There is also evidence that there was ample room for improvement in the aspirin unit. This article brings justice-centered science pedagogy into conversation with sociotransformative constructivism to identify some of these possibilities. This study implies that addressing inequity in science education requires confronting the latent politics in the curriculum and broader context.

Cities reshaped by Airbnb: A case study in New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles

In the last 10 years, Airbnb has rapidly grown from a simple, online bed and breakfast operation to a leading global hospitality service provider. Scholars have been using different spatial analysis tools to study its potential impacts on cities. To better understand Airbnb’s impact this featured graphic applied a cartogram processing tool to reshape census tracts based on Airbnb listing intensity in three major US cities (New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles). Results showed that different cities have different patterns of Airbnb listings. Census tracts in New York City became completely unrecognizable after the analysis, which indicted a highly skewed Airbnb distribution in the city. Compared with New York City, we saw less and least deformation in Chicago and Los Angeles, respectively, where Airbnb was more evenly distributed. The results showed that Airbnb listings were very evenly distributed in the large US cities. Airbnb would impose completely different impacts on different neighborhoods based on their locations.

The prevalence and persistence of atopic dermatitis in urban United States children

BackgroundPrevious studies found that childhood atopic dermatitis (AD) and asthma are associated with residence in urban areas. However, little is known about the prevalence and determinants of AD in US urban populations and its impact on quality-of-life (QOL) and asthma. ObjectiveTo determine AD prevalence and persistence, sociodemographic predictors thereof, and association with QOL and atopic comorbidities in US urban children. MethodsWe analyzed data from The Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a prospective cohort study of 4898 women and their children born in 20 large US cities between 1998 and 2000. AD prevalence was determined at ages 5, 9, and 15 years, and stratified by sex, race/ethnicity, and household poverty income level. ResultsThe prevalences (95% confidence interval [CI]) of childhood AD were 15.0% (11.0%-18.9%), 15.1% (11.5%-18.7%), and 14.5% (10.4%%-18.5%) at ages 5, 9, and 15 years, respectively. Female sex (multivariable repeated measures logistic regression; adjusted odds-ratio [95% CI]: 1.56 [1.02-2.37]) and black race (1.80 [1.07-3.01]) were associated with persistent AD across all 3 ages. Children with AD at ages 5 and 15 (2.63 [1.42-4.86]), 5, 8 and 15 (1.47 [1.02-2.12]) and 9 and 15 years (1.61 [1.00-2.60]) had higher odds of poor/fair/good overall health. Children with AD at ages 5 and 9 years had the highest odds of ever having asthma (adjusted odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 6.05 [5.88-6.22]), followed by children with AD at ages 5, 9, and 15 years (3.17 [3.07%-3.27]). ConclusionAtopic dermatitis prevalence and persistence were highest in US urban children who were female or black. Urban children with persistent AD were more likely to have poor QOL and asthma.

Emerging divided cities in China: Socioeconomic segregation in Shanghai, 2000–2010

Compared with North America and Western Europe, Chinese cities used to feature a low extent of socioeconomic segregation. However, systematic analysis of the changes in socioeconomic segregation after the end of the provision of welfare housing is needed. Using residential-committee-level data from the fifth and sixth censuses of Shanghai, for the first time, this article systematically charts changes in socioeconomic segregation in Chinese cities over the period 2000–2010. Along with the emergence of high-status neighbourhoods and migrant neighbourhoods, Shanghai has grown more divided based on individual socioeconomic status. The extent of socioeconomic segregation in Shanghai was comparable to that of large US and European cities. While patterns of sociospatial divisions are different across central and suburban areas, the level of educational segregation becomes greater than that of hukou segregation. The crucial role of housing commodification in driving these changes highlights the importance of contextual and institutional factors in understanding the dynamics of segregation.

Referendum opposition to fluoridation and health literacy: a cross-sectional analysis conducted in three large US cities

ObjectiveTo explore health literacy as a marker of voter confusion in order to understand the basis for public opposition to community water fluoridation.DesignA cross-sectional study.SettingConducted in three large US cities...

Parag Pathak: Winner of the 2018 Clark Medal

The American Economic Association awarded Parag Pathak the 2018 John Bates Clark Medal for his research on the impacts of educational policies. Both the theory and the empirical research take the constraints facing administrators seriously. As a result, Parag’s research led directly to educational reforms in many large US cities and abroad. The leading example is Parag (and co-authors’) research on school assignment mechanisms that led many school districts to institute fairer and more efficient procedures for allocating students to schools. The institutional detail Parag learned in working on the assignment problem led to innovative empirical work on the impacts of different types of schools, most notably of charters, which was suggestive of the characteristics of both successful schools and of the types of students who gained from being enrolled in them. Using the data generated by the new assignment rules, his recent work provides complete frameworks for the quantitative analysis of the benefits of different assignment mechanisms and has measured those benefits in New York high schools.