269404 Socioeconomic and environmental disparities in the risk of campylobacteriosis in Maryland

Monday, October 29, 2012

Barbara Zappe Pasturel , Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Rachel E. Rosenberg Goldstein, MPH , Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Amanda Palmer, MPH , Infectious Disease and Environmental Health Administration, Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Baltimore, MD
David Blythe, PhD , Infectious Disease and Environmental Health Administration, Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Baltimore, MD
Pat Ryan , Infectious Disease and Environmental Health Administration, Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Baltimore, MD
Brenna Hogan , Infectious Disease and Environmental Health Administration, Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Baltimore, MD
Sam W. Joseph, PhD , Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Carrianne Jung , Infectious Disease and Environmental Health Administration, Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Baltimore, MD
Min Qi Wang, PhD, MS , Department of Behavioral and Community Health, University of Maryland School of Public Health, College Park, MD
Mei Ling T. Lee, PhD , Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics,University of Maryland School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Amy R. Sapkota, PhD , Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health, University of Maryland School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Campylobacter, a leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis, affects 2.4 million people in the United States annually. Commonly reported individual risk factors include consumption of undercooked poultry and contact with contaminated water, pets, and livestock. Sociodemographic factors, including age and gender, have also been shown to influence the risk of campylobacteriosis. However, to our knowledge, no U.S. study has examined community-level (zip-code level) risk factors to evaluate potential socioeconomic and environmental disparities in the risk of Campylobacter infections. We linked Maryland FoodNet data (Campylobacter infection rates) to U.S. Census data (socioeconomic variables) and U.S. Census of Agriculture data (animal operation variables) at the zip-code level to evaluate the influence of community-level risk factors on the incidence of campylobacteriosis. Descriptive, inferential, and spatial statistics were completed using SAS, STATA, and ArcView GIS. African-Americans were less likely to contract Campylobacter infections than whites (IRR 0.74, 95% C.I. 0.72-0.76). Individuals living in 100% rural zip codes were twice as likely to contract Campylobacter infections as those living in 0% rural zip codes (IRR 2.00, 95% C.I. 1.87-2.13). People living in zip-codes characterized by a greater percentage of people >25 without high-school diplomas were less likely to contract Campylobacter (IRR 0.58, 95% C.I. 0.56-0.60). Finally, individuals living in zip-codes where broiler chicken operations and aquaculture operations were present were nearly 30% more likely to contract Campylobacter infections (IRR 1.26, 95% C.I. 1.24-1.28; IRR 1.3, 95% C.I. 1.24-1.27, respectively). These data show that community-level socioeconomic and environmental factors may play a role in the risk of campylobacteriosis in Maryland.

Learning Areas:
Environmental health sciences
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
To describe the prevalence of Campylobacter in Maryland by age, gender and season. To identify community-level socioeconomic and environment factors that influence the risk of Campylobacteriosis in Maryland.

Keywords: Food Security, Infectious Diseases

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the principal author of this paper as a key member of the research team and hope to make this work the subject of my MPH thesis.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3085.0: *Poster Session*: Environment Section Student Achievement Poster Session