Respiratory Health of Preschoolers in Lower Manhattan after Sept.11

Dr. Sebastian Bonner of the Academy being interviewed by Channel 2 medical reporter Paul Moniz.

NEW YORK CITY, May 9 - In the aftermath of the World Trade Center terrorist attacks, The New York Academy of Medicine is conducting research on the respiratory health of children in Chinatown, a district of lower Manhattan where the disaster's human impact has largely gone unchronicled.

Surveys translated into Chinese were distributed this week to preschools and day care centers that are predominantly attended by Chinese-American children who live in the neighborhood. The surveys will be collected at several Chinatown sites on Tuesday, May 14.

The aim is to understand whether children ages 3 to 5 who live in lower Manhattan suffer from uncontrolled asthma and other breathing problems at rates comparable to children in other parts of the city. The results can be used to appropriately target programs and services to control this health problem, according to lead investigator Sebastian Bonner, Ph.D., an asthma expert in the Academy's Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies (CUES).

Chinatown youngster waiting as his mother gets instructions for completing the Preschool Respiratory Health Survey (pictured left).

"The Department of Health needs data to determine what kinds of services are needed," said Bonner, who has worked to improve asthma care in East and Central Harlem, two of the city's asthma hot-spots.

The surveys in Chinatown are part of a larger study examining the respiratory health of preschoolers south of 14th Street. "Preschool Respiratory Health Surveys" designed by CUES have already been collected from preschools and day care centers in Battery Park City and the West Village. The third and final batch of surveys will be distributed in Alphabet City and the Lower East Side, home to large numbers of African-Americans and Latinos. The effort is funded by the New York City Department of Health, using allocations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that were earmarked for post-Sept. 11 research and interventions.

The surveys, to be filled out by an adult family member or guardian, focus on the children's respiratory health. Questions include, "Has your child ever had wheezing or whistling in the chest at any time in the past?," and, "In the last 12 months, has your child had wheezing or whistling in the chest, a cough that lasted more than a week, or other breathing problems?"

The Health Department will be notified if any lower Manhattan neighborhoods evidence a great need for health interventions, Bonner said.

"If we find evidence that there are uncontrolled respiratory problems in particular neighborhoods, the Health Department can focus its resources there," Bonner said. "You can't direct resources unless you know if there's a need."

Kent Chau, an intern with the Academy's Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies, explains the survey to Chinatown parents

Several research studies conducted after Sept. 11 by the Academy and other organizations examined the physical, psychological and economic effects of the World Trade Center attacks on New Yorkers. But only one has assessed the disaster's impact specifically on Chinatown residents, and none have focused on respiratory health. The Academy and other entities were criticized by some for conducting Sept. 11-related research that did not assess the impact on Chinatown residents.

Bonner and other CUES staff have gone to great lengths to reach out to the Chinese community. He has met with David S. Chen, the Executive Director of the Chinese-American Planning Council, one of the major community-based organizations in Chinatown and a staunch supporter of these efforts. CUES staff worked with the Chinatown Health Clinic to translate the surveys into Chinese. And recognizing the heterogeneity in Chinatown, they've hired research assistants capable of conducting interviews in Mandarin, Cantonese, Toishan, Fujianese, Taiwanese and Shanghainese.

Survey results are expected to be analyzed during the summer, and will published in peer-reviewed journals. The data will be made available to DOH as soon as it is analyzed. Bonner plans to conduct a follow-up study in 2003.

"Until Sept. 11, nobody realized that we lacked any real data on how well young kids are doing downtown in terms of their respiratory health," Bonner said. "This is public health information that we really need."

The New York Academy of Medicine is a non-profit organization founded in 1847 that is dedicated to enhancing the health of the public through research, education and advocacy, with a particular focus on disadvantaged urban populations.

Media coverage of the study:

• Crain's New York Business
• The New York Times
• New York 1 News

Posted on May 9, 2002

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Contact:
Andrew J. Martin
Director of Communications
The New York Academy of Medicine
1216 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York 10029
212-822-7285
amartin@nyam.org

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