Abstract:

Economic deprivation could increase the magnitude of air pollution-related health impacts because: 1) due to poorer nutrition, timely access to medical care, or other factors, the poor experience more health impact per unit pollution exposure and/or 2) the poor experience higher levels of air pollution. There have been few studies of the interaction between poverty and the health effects of air pollution, and most have been conducted in Western countries. In Asia, the composition and relative contribution of indoor and outdoor sources of exposure are likely to be very different, and the impacts of exposure - and the influence of economic deprivation on those impacts - may be greater. To date no studies have been conducted in the poorer Southeast Asian countries, largely due to the relative lack of reliable and easily accessible data on health outcomes, routinely collected air quality data and collaboration between health and environment sectors. An interdisciplinary team of local and international experts has been working to refine feasible approaches to assess the health impact of air pollution among the poor in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). This poster presents an overview of the project, which is comprised of two components: 1) a hospital-based component: assessment of the effect of short term exposure to air pollution on the respiratory health of young children 2) a household-based component: characterizing the exposures of the poor from multiple sources of pollution.

Presentation: http://www.cleanairnet.org/baq2006/1757/docs/SW1_4.ppt