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In The Face of Uncertainty: Community Health, Environmental Hazards and Statistical Significance
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Abstract:
Studying relationships between health and environmental toxins usually involves statistical tests and a reliance on 95 percent- significance. But because of inherent scientific uncertainties, small sample sizes, unknown exposure levels, and scientific value judgments, some researchers working with contaminated communities propose the adoption of health-protective significance levels, (e.g., 75 percent-). To explore alternative significance levels, health data collected in a poor Latino neighborhood surrounded by industrial facilities in Phoenix, AZ is utilized to analyze three sets of correlations. First, the negative correlation between health problems and distance from a specific point source polluter was significant at 93 percent- for children. Interestingly, the relationship was less significant and positive for adults. Second, while a respondent's self-reported health status was correlated negatively at 87 percent- with length of residence in the neighborhood, a parallel relationship was not found for breathing problems. Third, the relationship between presence of cockroaches in the home and breathing problems was significant at 95 percent- for adults and children. Overall, this analysis illustrates the complexity and confusion surrounding community-level environmental health research. Contradictory explanations can be provided for both the traditionally "significant" and "insignificant" findings. So while alternative health-protective significance levels may be helpful to policy makers and contaminated communities, they become more powerful when paired with other forms of inquiry. Researchers should report data frequencies, use multi-method approaches, involve community residents, balance research goals with scientific rigor, and encourage communities to focus on political, rather than purely scientific, solutions to their environmental concerns.
Most Common Document Word Stems: health (128), research (70), signific (63), communiti (54), problem (53), environment (49), neighborhood (37), level (35), breath (33), resid (33), correl (30), one (29), truck (29), children (28), pollut (27), homedal (27), statist (27), stop (27), scienc (24), relationship (24), studi (23),

Author's Keywords: environmental hazards, community health, statistical significance	Convention Need a solution for abstract management? All Academic can help! Contact us today to find out how our system can help your annual meeting. Submission - Custom fields, multiple submission types, tracks, audio visual, multiple upload formats, automatic conversion to pdf. Review - Peer Review, Bulk reviewer assignment, bulk emails, ranking, z-score statistics, and multiple worksheets! Reports - Many standard and custom reports generated while you wait. Print programs with participant indexes, event grids, and more! Scheduling - Flexible and convenient grid scheduling within rooms and buildings. Conflict checking and advanced filtering. Communication - Bulk email tools to help your administrators send reminders and responses. Use form letters, a message center, and much more! Management - Search tools, duplicate people management, editing tools, submission transfers, many tools to manage a variety of conference management headaches! Click here for more information.
Association: Name: American Sociological Association URL: http://www.asanet.org
Citation: URL: http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p107866_index.html Direct Link: HTML Code:

Grineski, Sara., Kronenfeld, Jennie. and Bolin, Bob. "In The Face of Uncertainty: Community Health, Environmental Hazards and Statistical Significance" Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, Atlanta Hilton Hotel, Atlanta, GA, Aug 16, 2003 Online <.PDF>. 2008-07-19 <http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p107866_index.html>

Grineski, S. , Kronenfeld, J. J. and Bolin, B. (2003, Aug) "In The Face of Uncertainty: Community Health, Environmental Hazards and Statistical Significance" Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, Atlanta Hilton Hotel, Atlanta, GA Online <.PDF> Retrieved 2008-07-19 from http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p107866_index.html

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript Review Method: Peer Reviewed Abstract: Studying relationships between health and environmental toxins usually involves statistical tests and a reliance on 95 percent- significance. But because of inherent scientific uncertainties, small sample sizes, unknown exposure levels, and scientific value judgments, some researchers working with contaminated communities propose the adoption of health-protective significance levels, (e.g., 75 percent-). To explore alternative significance levels, health data collected in a poor Latino neighborhood surrounded by industrial facilities in Phoenix, AZ is utilized to analyze three sets of correlations. First, the negative correlation between health problems and distance from a specific point source polluter was significant at 93 percent- for children. Interestingly, the relationship was less significant and positive for adults. Second, while a respondent's self-reported health status was correlated negatively at 87 percent- with length of residence in the neighborhood, a parallel relationship was not found for breathing problems. Third, the relationship between presence of cockroaches in the home and breathing problems was significant at 95 percent- for adults and children. Overall, this analysis illustrates the complexity and confusion surrounding community-level environmental health research. Contradictory explanations can be provided for both the traditionally "significant" and "insignificant" findings. So while alternative health-protective significance levels may be helpful to policy makers and contaminated communities, they become more powerful when paired with other forms of inquiry. Researchers should report data frequencies, use multi-method approaches, involve community residents, balance research goals with scientific rigor, and encourage communities to focus on political, rather than purely scientific, solutions to their environmental concerns.

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