Table of Contents

ABSTRACT

Neighborhood resources are associated with positive health outcomes among children. Telomere length (TL) serves as a marker of stress-related, biological aging and inversely associated with adverse environmental factors. Objective: Examine the association between neighborhood child opportunity and residential ambient air pollution with TL among children and assess whether this association is modified by neighborhood child opportunity. Study group: Children (1-11 years of age) from the Pediatric Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Resiliency Study cohort. Methods: Neighborhood Child Opportunity Index (COI) and ambient particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations were matched to residential locations for the twelve months prior to biospecimen collection. Relative buccal TL was measured using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Multivariable linear regression models were used to examine for associations between neighborhood COI (continuous and categorical) and TL, adjusting for sociodemographics. Results: The study sample consisted of 299 children (45.8% girls, mean age of 6.0 years [standard deviation: 3.4]) with median COI of 28.0 [IQR: 41.5], median 12-month prior PM2.5 concentrations of 11.8 μg/m3 [IQR: 2.5], and median TL of 0.1 [IQR: 0.03]. Continuous and categorical COI and COI domains were not associated with TL. Average 12-month prior residential PM2.5 was associated with shorter TL (ß=-0.02, 95% CI: -0.04, -0.01). The interaction between COI and PM2.5 exposure on TL was nonsignificant (p=0.82). Conclusions: Neighborhood resources were not found to have an impact on physiologic aging among young children. Future longitudinal studies are warranted to explore the long-term impact of neighborhood environments on health outcomes as children advance into adolescence and adulthood.

Keywords: Neighborhood child opportunity, air pollution, telomere length, children, United States