TY - JOUR
T1 - The Creation of a Multidomain Neighborhood Environmental Vulnerability Index Across New York City
AU - Uong, Stephen P.
AU - Zhou, Jiayi
AU - Lovinsky-Desir, Stephanie
AU - Albrecht, Sandra S.
AU - Azan, Alexander
AU - Chambers, Earle C.
AU - Sheffield, Perry E.
AU - Thompson, Azure
AU - Wilson, Joseph
AU - Woo Baidal, Jennifer
AU - Stingone, Jeanette A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s).
PY - 2023/10
Y1 - 2023/10
N2 - Compared to previous studies commonly using a single summary score, we aimed to construct a multidomain neighborhood environmental vulnerability index (NEVI) to characterize the magnitude and variability of area-level factors with the potential to modify the association between environmental pollutants and health effects. Using the Toxicological Prioritization Index framework and data from the 2015–2019 U.S. Census American Community Survey and the 2020 CDC PLACES Project, we quantified census tract-level vulnerability overall and in 4 primary domains (demographic, economic, residential, and health status), 24 subdomains, and 54 distinct area-level features for New York City (NYC). Overall and domain-specific indices were calculated by summing standardized feature values within the subdomains and then aggregating and weighting based on the number of features within each subdomain within equally-weighted primary domains. In citywide comparisons, NEVI was correlated with multiple existing indices, including the Neighborhood Deprivation Index (r = 0.91) and Social Vulnerability Index (r = 0.87) but provided additional information on features contributing to vulnerability. Vulnerability varied spatially across NYC, and hierarchical cluster analysis using subdomain scores revealed six patterns of vulnerability across domains: 1) low in all, 2) primarily low except residential, 3) medium in all, 4) high demographic, economic, and residential 5) high economic, residential, and health status, and 6) high demographic, economic and health status. Created using methods that offer flexibility for theory-based construction, NEVI provided detailed vulnerability metrics across domains that can inform targeted research and public health interventions aimed at reducing the health impacts from environmental exposures across urban centers.
AB - Compared to previous studies commonly using a single summary score, we aimed to construct a multidomain neighborhood environmental vulnerability index (NEVI) to characterize the magnitude and variability of area-level factors with the potential to modify the association between environmental pollutants and health effects. Using the Toxicological Prioritization Index framework and data from the 2015–2019 U.S. Census American Community Survey and the 2020 CDC PLACES Project, we quantified census tract-level vulnerability overall and in 4 primary domains (demographic, economic, residential, and health status), 24 subdomains, and 54 distinct area-level features for New York City (NYC). Overall and domain-specific indices were calculated by summing standardized feature values within the subdomains and then aggregating and weighting based on the number of features within each subdomain within equally-weighted primary domains. In citywide comparisons, NEVI was correlated with multiple existing indices, including the Neighborhood Deprivation Index (r = 0.91) and Social Vulnerability Index (r = 0.87) but provided additional information on features contributing to vulnerability. Vulnerability varied spatially across NYC, and hierarchical cluster analysis using subdomain scores revealed six patterns of vulnerability across domains: 1) low in all, 2) primarily low except residential, 3) medium in all, 4) high demographic, economic, and residential 5) high economic, residential, and health status, and 6) high demographic, economic and health status. Created using methods that offer flexibility for theory-based construction, NEVI provided detailed vulnerability metrics across domains that can inform targeted research and public health interventions aimed at reducing the health impacts from environmental exposures across urban centers.
KW - Area-level vulnerability
KW - Data integration
KW - Deprivation
KW - Environmental justice
KW - Social determinants of health
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U2 - 10.1007/s11524-023-00766-3
DO - 10.1007/s11524-023-00766-3
M3 - Article
C2 - 37594675
AN - SCOPUS:85168317100
SN - 1099-3460
VL - 100
SP - 1007
EP - 1023
JO - Journal of Urban Health
JF - Journal of Urban Health
IS - 5
ER -