@article {9871, title = {Racial residential segregation is associated with ambient air pollution exposure after adjustment for multilevel sociodemographic factors: Evidence from eight US-based cohorts.}, journal = {Environ Epidemiol}, volume = {9}, year = {2025}, month = {2025 Feb}, pages = {e367}, abstract = {

OBJECTIVE: We examined if racial residential segregation (RRS) - a fundamental cause of disease - is independently associated with air pollution after accounting for other neighborhood and individual-level sociodemographic factors, to better understand its potential role as a confounder of air pollution-health studies.

METHODS: We compiled data from eight large cohorts, restricting to non-Hispanic Black and White urban-residing participants observed at least once between 1999 and 2005. We used 2000 decennial census data to derive a spatial RRS measure (divergence index) and neighborhood socioeconomic status (NSES) index for participants{\textquoteright} residing Census tracts, in addition to participant baseline data, to examine associations between RRS and sociodemographic factors (NSES, education, race) and residential exposure to spatiotemporal model-predicted PM and NO levels. We fit random-effects meta-analysis models to pool estimates across adjusted cohort-specific multilevel models.

RESULTS: Analytic sample included eligible participants in CHS (N = 3,605), MESA (4,785), REGARDS (22,649), NHS (90,415), NHSII (91,654), HPFS (32,625), WHI-OS (77,680), and WHI-CT (56,639). In adjusted univariate models, a quartile higher RRS was associated with 3.73\% higher PM exposure (95\% CI: 2.14\%, 5.32\%), and an 11.53\% higher (95\% CI: 10.83\%, 12.22\%) NO exposure on average. In fully adjusted models, higher RRS was associated with 3.25\% higher PM exposure (95\% CI: 1.45\%, 5.05\%; < 0.05) and 10.22\% higher NO exposure (95\% CI: 6.69\%, 13.74\%; < 0.001) on average.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that RRS is associated with the differential distribution of poor air quality independent of NSES or individual race, suggesting it may be a relevant confounder to be considered in future air pollution epidemiology studies.

}, issn = {2474-7882}, doi = {10.1097/EE9.0000000000000367}, author = {Zewdie, Hiwot Y and Fahey, Carolyn A and Harrington, Anna L and Hart, Jaime E and Biggs, Mary L and McClure, Leslie A and Whitsel, Eric A and Kaufman, Joel D and Hajat, Anjum} }