Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #105947

Man-huei Chang¹, Samuel L. Groseclose², Akbar Zaidi², and Christopher Braden, MD³. (1) The Office of Genomics and Disease Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway, Mail Stop K-89, Atlanta, GA 30341, 770-488-8519, mchang@cdc.gov, (2) NCHSTP/DSTDP/SDMB, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, MS E63, Atlanta, GA 30333, (3) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Foodborne and Diarrheal Diseases Branch, 1600 Clifton Road, MS A38, Atlanta, GA 30333

Background: Identifying sociodemographic and economic factors associated with food borne disease incidence may lead to new hypotheses concerning vehicles and routes of disease transmission in the community. Methods: Average annual incidence rates were calculated for salmonellosis, shigellosis, and Escherichia coli O157:H7 in counties that reported at least one case to NNDSS during 1993-2002. County-specific US Census data on twenty-six sociodemographic characteristics were obtained. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were calculated, and multivariate regression analyses were performed with disease rates as dependent variables and sociodemographic factors as independent variables. Results: In the multivariate regression model, the three leading factors associated with salmonellosis incidence were residence in South region (1.58 [parameter estimate] ±0.48 [standard error]), physician rate per 100,000 persons (0.96±0.14), and percentage of population 45-64 years (-0.51±0.07), accounting for 7% of the total variation. For shigellosis, these factors were percentage of population < 5 years (1.88±0.29), percentage of population below poverty level (0.28±0.03), and percentage unemployed (0.43±0.07), accounting for 12% of the variation. For E. coli O157:H7 leading factors were percentage of farm workers (0.15±0.01), percentage of adults < ninth grade education (-0.04±0.01), and residence in South region (-0.65±0.11) accounting for 31% of the variation. Conclusion: A diverse set of sociodemographic factors are associated with the incidence of food borne diseases indicating complicated and diverse pathways of transmission. The county characteristics most closely associated with salmonellosis, shigellosis, and E. coli O157:H7 incidence include place of residence, age, education, and poverty.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn sociodemographic factors are associated with the incidence of food borne diseases.
• Develop hypotheses about community-level determinants of food safety-related disease incidence.

Keywords: Food Safety, Community Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.