Population Health Working Group - OCT 20 in 313 Welch

Population Health Working Group - OCT 20 in 313 Welch and via Zoom

For those joining virtually, you can use the Zoom link below:
https://psu.zoom.us/j/9804133687?omn=93834871394

Yanhong Huang, Postdoc, Department of Biobehavioral Health, Penn State University

Title: Wildfire smoke PM2.5 and asthma exacerbation in adults in the USA

Abstract: "Asthma exacerbation can be triggered by various forms of air pollution, including PM2.5 from wildfire smoke. This study investigated the association between exposure to wildfire smoke PM2.5 exposure and asthma exacerbations in adults during the warm months (April–August) between 2006 and 2019. Using a case-crossover design, we analyzed 18,935 asthma exacerbation events in the National Institute of Health (NIH) All of Us research program. We used the conditional logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (ORs) for the association between PM2.5 exposure and asthma exacerbation, considering lag periods of 0 to 7 days, while adjusting for temperature, precipitation, and humidity. Significant positive associations were observed across all lag periods, with adjusted ORs ranging from 1.27 to 1.38. Stratified analyses showed higher risks among older adults, non-Hispanic Whites, eastern residents, and those exposed in May. These findings emphasize the importance of targeted public health interventions." 

Kelsey Shaulis, Postdoc, Department of Sociology and Criminology, Penn State University

Title: Skin-Deep Resilience in Midlife: Mental and Physical Health at the Intersection of Race, Gender, and Education

Abstract: More education has long been a predictor of better physical and mental health throughout adulthood. Yet, among racial and ethnic minority students, there has been evidence of a physical and mental health tradeoff when pursuing postsecondary education, wherein a college degree is associated with better mental health at the cost of cardiometabolic functioning. This mental and physical tradeoff is known as “skin-deep resilience”. Using a 20-year (2000-2024) pooled sample from the National Health Interview Survey, we formally test the three-way interaction between race-ethnicity, gender, and education to explore the relationship between these intersectional identities and mental (psychological distress) and physical health (cardiovascular disease). By focusing on midlife adults, we also explore whether the phenomena of skin-deep resilience associated with a college degree persists into midlife. Results support the concept of skin-deep resilience for Black and Asian men. In addition, Hispanic men do not exhibit significant benefit from a college degree to mental nor physical health.