Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Jun 8;16(11):2036.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph16112036.

Metabolic Outcomes in Southern Italian Preadolescents Residing Near an Industrial Complex: The Role of Residential Location and Socioeconomic Status

Affiliations

Metabolic Outcomes in Southern Italian Preadolescents Residing Near an Industrial Complex: The Role of Residential Location and Socioeconomic Status

Esha Bansal et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Evidence suggests that environmental exposures and socioeconomic factors may interact to produce metabolic changes in children. We assessed the influence of residential location and socioeconomic status (SES) on pediatric body mass index (BMI) Z-score and fasting blood glucose (FBG) concentration. Participants included 214 children aged 6-11 years who live near a large industrial complex in Taranto, Italy. Participants were grouped into residential zones based on the distance between their home address and the complex periphery (Zone 1: 0.000-4.999 km, Zone 2: 5.000-9.999 km, Zone 3: 10.000-15.000 km). BMI Z-scores were calculated via World Health Organization (WHO) pediatric reference curves. FBG was obtained via venous blood sampling. Closer residential location to the industrial complex on the order of 5.000 km was significantly associated with worsened metabolic outcomes, particularly in female children. Zone 1 participants had higher BMI-adjusted FBG than Zone 2 and 3 participants (p < 0.05 versus Zone 2; p < 0.01 versus Zone 3). SES did not significantly influence BMI-adjusted FBG. Moreover, BMI Z-scores indicated high rates of overweight (22.0%) and obesity (22.9%) in the cohort. BMI Z-score was not significantly associated with SES or residential zone but was negatively associated with maternal education level (p < 0.05). These results offer new evidence that residing near industrial activity may predict adverse effects on child metabolic health.

Keywords: BMI; air pollution; blood glucose; body mass index; children; industrial; obesity; residential location; socioeconomic status.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Geographic description of the residential zones (circles) used to define participant proximity to the industrial complex (polygon).

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Hanna-Attisha M., LaChance J., Sadler R.C., Champney Schnepp A. Elevated blood lead levels in children associated with the Flint drinking water crisis: A spatial analysis of risk and public health response. Am. J. Pub. Health. 2016;106:283–290. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2015.303003. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hong S.B., Im M.H., Kim J.W., Park E.J., Shin M.S., Kim B.N., Yoo H.J., Cho I.H., Bhang S.Y., Hong Y.C., et al. Environmental lead exposure and attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder symptom domains in a community sample of South Korean school-age children. Environ. Health Perspect. 2015;123:271–276. doi: 10.1289/ehp.1307420. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Jerrett M., McConnell R., Wolch J., Chang R., Lam C., Dunton G., Gilliland F., Lurmann F., Islam T., Berhane K. Traffic-related air pollution and obesity formation in children: A longitudinal, multilevel analysis. Environ. Health. 2014;13 doi: 10.1186/1476-069X-13-49. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lombardo F.L., Spinelli A., Lazzeri G., Lamberti A., Mazzarella G., Nardone P., Pilato V., Buoncristiano M., Caroli M. Severe obesity prevalence in 8-to 9-year-old Italian children: A large population-based study. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 2015;69:603–608. doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2014.188. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Grassi T., De Donno A., Bagordo F., Serio F., Piscitelli P., Ceretti E., Zani C., Viola G., Villarini M., Moretti M., et al. Socio-Economic and environmental factors associated with overweight and obesity in children aged 6–8 years living in five Italian cities (the MAPEC_LIFE cohort) Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 2016;13:1002. doi: 10.3390/ijerph13101002. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types