Rebuilding the Unity of Health and the Environment in Rural America Workshop Summary (2006) / Chapter Skim
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4 The Built Environment and Health in Rural Areas
4 The Built Environment and Health in Rural Areas
Pages 71-86
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From page 71... ...
People considered suburban living to be healthier. Urban encroachment in rural areas creates health problems and issues involving health care access, air pollution, water pollution and water availability, and other concerns, said Bernard Goldstein of the University of Pittsburgh.
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From page 72... ...
Other health problems due to urban sprawl include heat islands, global climate change, noise, a lack of availability of healthy food choices, public health workforce issues, and safety issues such as crime and traffic. When a green area is replaced by asphalt, a bigger heat island results in changes in local temperatures and ecosystems.
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From page 73... ...
The the United States average 718 square average American moves approximately feet per person, whereas in The seven times in his or her lifetime, where- Netherlands the average home size is as the average European moves less than 256 square feet per person. two times.
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From page 74... ...
74 REBUILDING THE UNITY OF HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT a is it ng, housi describes that factor only the not is age Although county. Iowa each in housing.
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From page 75... ...
Occupied Housing Environmental health issues in the Environmental health issues in the context of occupied housing include context of occupied housing include lead lead poisoning in children, carbon poisoning in children, carbon monoxide, monoxide, fire and electrical hazards, fire and electrical hazards, water dam- water damage and mold, private age and mold, private wastewater treat- wastewater treatment systems, the lack ment systems, the lack of rental housing of rental housing codes, and improper codes, and improper sanitary conditions. sanitary conditions.
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From page 76... ...
No state agency has the authority to ensure that the cities that are required to have rental housing codes actually have them and are enforcing them, said Gergely. If a community has no rental housing code, the only option for a tenant dissatisfied with the condition of a house is to move or to bring civil action under the Iowa Landlord Tenant Act.
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From page 77... ...
One of the reasons is that many people do not understand exactly what they are eating because the community does not understand many of the healthy diets that are being promoted, said John Lowe of the University of Iowa. People living in the United States consume a lot of inexpensive, high-calorie, dense food with large portion sizes, and at the same time they are less physically active, noted Lowe.
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From page 78... ...
activity: programmed physical activity To address some of the issues menand exercise; occupational physical tioned above, the University of Iowa's activity, which is decreasing in rural College of Public Health established a areas; lifestyle physical activity, which is partnership in Keokuk County called when, for example, people take the Community Health Action Partnership stairs instead of an elevator; and (CHAP)
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From page 79... ...
The community, along with work sites and faith institutions, will have to get involved in promoting healthier lifestyles and will play a key role in changing the social acceptance of and social environment for physical activity. INVESTIGATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES AND CHRONIC DISEASE IN RURAL COMMUNITIES: THE AGRICULTURAL HEALTH STUDY In general, farmers are healthier, live longer, smoke less, and are more physically active than the general population, although they are still at higher risk for some diseases compared with the risk for the general population, said Jane Hoppin of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
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From page 80... ...
Approximately 84 percent of the people who were licensed private pesticide applicators in the two states between 1993 and 1997 enrolled in the study, and 75 percent of the married applicators had their spouses enroll. The researchers reinterview the farmers every 5 years-regardless of whether they are currently farming and whether they are currently married to each other -- and the cohort is linked annually to the National Death Index and each state's Cancer Registry.
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From page 81... ...
of No. of Cause of Death Individuals SMR Individuals SMR All causes 1,558 0.5 497 0.6 All cancers 514 0.6 239 0.7 Colon cancer 56 0.7 31 1.2 Lung cancer 129 0.4 29 0.3 Breast cancer 3 0.9 54 0.9 Prostate cancer 48 0.7 Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma 33 0.9 16 1.2 Leukemia 27 0.8 14 1.4 Cardiovascular disease 537 0.5 82 0.4 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 35 0.2 15 0.3 Diabetes 26 0.3 18 0.6 Motor vehicle accidents 56 0.8 14 0.8 Nonmotor vehicle accidents 74 1.0 8 0.6 Suicide 46 0.6 7 0.7 NOTE: The standardized mortality ratio (SMR)
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From page 82... ...
It is possible that in four years researchers will be able to determine whether there are different lung cancer types that are more common among farmers. AHS Findings on Neurological Effects The findings on neurological effects are based on cross-sectional data from information that the study participants reported in the questionnaire when they enrolled in the study, noted Hoppin.
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From page 83... ...
It is more common among white women; people with light eye color, cardiovascular disease, or hypertension; and people with a family history of the condition, noted Hoppin. The risk factors for this condition are not known, and there is no occupational exposure literature suggesting that occupational exposures could be associated with retinal degeneration.
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From page 84... ...
. The rate of the respiratory symptom wheeze is striking among farmers: 19 percent of the applicators reported wheeze, whereas only 13 percent of the general population reported the same symptom.
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From page 85... ...
Other agricultural exposures associated with increased rates of respiratory symptoms, particularly wheeze, were exposure to manure as a natural fertilizer, exposure to diesel while driving diesel-fueled tractors (people who drove gasoline-fueled tractors did not have the same symptoms) , and exposure to solvents for cleaning.
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