Joel Atikemah and Angelina Uzor, current graduate students in the East Tennessee State University Master of Public Health, Environmental Health Practices program, were invited to participate in the Break the Cycle of Children’s Environmental Health Disparities Program for the 2023-2024 cycle. Their mentor is Dr. Mildred Maisonet, Associate Professor in the East Tennessee State University College of Public Health Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology. As Break the Cycle research students, they participated in monthly conference calls with Break the Cycle faculty and fellow students, completed their proposed project, and presented their project at the annual conference held April 15-16 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Break the Cycle focuses on raising awareness of children's environmental health disparities and on cultivating future leaders. BCHD is a non-profit established to address the health, environmental, socio-economic, and ecological disparities of health for children living under adverse social and economic circumstances.
Atikeman and Uzor proposed the project, “Exploratory analysis of demographic and socioeconomic determinants of health in South Carolina children in relation to PFAS exposure.” Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination in water systems has emerged as a major public and environmental health threat because of its health implications, especially among vulnerable populations such as children and pregnant women. These chemicals break down slowly, but build up in people, aquatic life, and the environment over time.
The effects on children are detrimental, with adverse effects ranging from precocious puberty to developmental delays, bone variations, behavioral changes, and low birth weight. Previous studies have highlighted the disproportionate impacts of environmental hazards on underserved communities. Their study investigates the correlation between PFAS exposure and demographic characteristics in South Carolina to address and reduce children's environmental health disparities. This research will ultimately contribute to the broader goal of breaking the cycle of environmental health disparities, ensuring that all children have access to clean and healthy environments and promoting healthy development and well-being. They will publish their findings in the near future.
