Journal Watch

City oversight means lower lead levels

New York City children living in public housing have significantly lower lead levels in their blood than children living in private housing, a study in the June issue of APHA’s American Journal of Public Health found.

Researchers examined medical records of nearly 4,700 children receiving care at a city hospital between 2003 and 2017. Using ZIP code information, the researchers determined which children lived in private housing and which children lived in public housing.

Children in public housing in New York City had lower lead levels in their blood than those in private housing, suggesting that city government intervention has worked, a study said.

Photo by Monkeybusinessimages, courtesy iStockphoto

They discovered that fewer than 0.1% of children raised in public housing had blood lead levels above 5 micrograms per deciliter, a level requiring medical intervention. For children in private housing, 2.76% had high blood lead levels.

The odds that children in private housing would have unhealthful lead levels was 92% greater than the children in public housing, the study found.

Researchers concluded that city government oversight and intervention in public housing has significantly reduced children’s blood lead levels, which can rise from home exposure in paint and water. Still, experts agree that there are no safe levels of lead exposure for children.

The study also found that analysis of electronic health records is a viable method for pinpointing neighborhoods exposed to unhealthful conditions.

Better public health through democracies

Countries that are democratic and have generous public health budgets have healthier residents than countries without those attributes, a study reviewing health literature in June’s AJPH found.

Researchers examined 58 studies that delved into health outcomes in a broad sample of countries around the globe.

Though the studies varied in quality, the researchers said the preponderance of information indicated that the politics of a country, the size and quality of its public health infrastructure and its economy all impacted people’s health. Moreover, countries that set aside ample funds for public health had in general fewer residents with chronic health conditions.

“Countries with social democratic regimes, higher public spending, and lower income inequalities have populations with better health,” the study said.

Deregulation raises sales of alcohol

Deregulation of the alcohol market in Ontario, Canada, resulted in an increase in alcohol sales mostly in poor neighborhoods, a June AJPH study found, suggesting that placing limits on alcohol sellers in those neighborhoods could improve public health.

In 2015, Ontario deregulated the alcohol market, allowing grocery stores to sell liquor. The move resulted in at least 380 grocery stores getting liquor licenses between December 2015 and July 2018, mostly in low-income areas. The researchers noted that numerous studies show that increased alcohol availability, including the longer hours grocery stores typically have when compared with those of liquor stores, increases consumption.

Police training on syringes beneficial

Police officer training in Tijuana, Mexico, potentially improved relations between officers and drug users and may improve public health, a study in June’s AJPH found.

In Tijuana, it is lawful to carry syringes, but many Tijuana police officers were unaware of the policy.

Police confiscated the syringes, causing drug users to use dirty needles to get high and risk infection, researchers said.

Drug users without access to sterile syringes are at risk of not only being infected with a disease, such as HIV and hepatitis C, but spreading an infection to sexual partners and community.

Tijuana police trained on syringe legality and positive interaction with drug users resulted in more than half of the officers following through on the instruction during patrols.

More than 400 police officers received training by video, and over 1,300 were trained in person. SHIELD, or Safety and Health Integration in the Enforcement of Laws on Drugs, was the method used.

The Tijuana police training likely improved public health in the city, the study concluded, and a similar training program should be considered in other cities to align police practices with formal policies.

For studies and podcasts from AJPH, visit www.ajph.org.