The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #50003

Warren J. Strauss, ScM¹, Amy Murphy, MPH², Peter J. Ashley, DrPH³, Warren Galke, PhD⁴, Pat McLaine, RN, MPH⁵, and Jean Wendt². (1) Statistics and Data Analysis Systems, Battelle Memorial Institute, 505 King Ave, Columbus, OH 43201-2693, 614 424 4275, strauss@battelle.org, (2) Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, Milwaukee Health Department, 841 North Broadway, Milwaukee, WI 53202, (3) Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Room P3206, 451 7th St., SW, Washington, DC, DC 20410, (4) The National Center for Lead-Safe Housing, 10227 Wincopin Circle, Suite 205, Columbia, MD 21044, (5) National Center for Lead-Safe Housing, 10227 Wincopin Circle, Suite 205, Columbia, MD 21044

In the mid-1990s, the Milwaukee Health Department took a proactive stance on eliminating childhood lead poisoning from neighborhoods that had historically demonstrated the highest prevalence of childhood lead poisoning. Their concept was that severe lead hazards present in substandard rental properties in a few neighborhoods were repeatedly poisoning the children of resident families, and that this cycle would continue absent serious intervention. The intervention centers on implementing a 1997 city ordinance targeting pre-1950 rental properties in two high-risk areas for neighborhood-wide environmental treatments. One neighborhood (on the north side of the city) was predominantly African American; the other (on the south side) was primarily Hispanic. Lead Hazard Control techniques addressed the most severe lead hazards, focusing on window components and essential maintenance practices. About 1,000 housing units were targeted in the two neighborhoods, with about 750 children under six years of age in residence (based on 1990 Census data). In 1997, 59% of the children aged 6-36 months in the North Treatment neighborhood and 29% of children in the South Treatment neighborhood had elevated blood-lead levels (>=10 ug/dL). Treatments occurred between May 1, 1999 and April 30, 2000. This session will focus on evaluating the primary prevention effectiveness of the ordinance activities by comparing two cross-sectional surveys (one pre-intervention, and the other two years post-intervention) of children's blood-lead levels in the treated neighborhoods and carefully selected control neighborhoods.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the effectiveness of the neighborhood-wide intervention strategy employed in Milwaukee.
• Develop strategies for similar program evaluation of intervention effectiveness in their communities.
• Determine whether the Lead Hazard Control Strategies used in Milwaukee would have similar effectiveness in their community

Keywords: Lead, Children's Health

Related Web page: www.ci.mil.wi.us/citygov/health/lead/index.htm

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.