Assari Shervin, Zare Hossein
Department of Internal Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
Department of Family Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
J Soc Math Hum Eng Sci. 2024;3(1):15-28. doi: 10.31586/jsmhes.2024.1044. Epub 2024 Aug 18.
Climate change has led to an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme heat events, a trend expected to continue. This poses significant health risks, particularly for vulnerable populations like children. While previous research has largely concentrated on the physical health impacts of extreme heat, less attention has been given to behavioral outcomes, such as delinquency.
This study investigates the association between extreme heat exposure and delinquency among children, utilizing data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. It also explores the potential mediating roles of neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES; measured by median home value), puberty, peer deviance, and financial difficulties.
Data from the national ABCD study were analyzed to assess the relationship between extreme heat exposure (exposure) and delinquency (outcome). Covariates included race/ethnicity, sex, and age. Mediators examined were neighborhood SES, puberty, peer deviance, and financial difficulties. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed for data analysis.
Overall, 11,878 children entered our analysis. The analysis revealed a significant association between extreme heat exposure and higher levels of delinquency among children. Children more exposed to extreme heat were more likely to be Black, reside in lower SES neighborhoods, experience greater financial difficulties, and have more advanced puberty status. The group facing the highest heat exposure was also economically disadvantaged.
The findings suggest that children already disadvantaged by socio-economic factors are disproportionately affected by extreme heat, leading to increased delinquency. This highlights the need for targeted interventions to protect these vulnerable populations and address the mediators of extreme heat exposure. Future research should focus on longitudinal studies and evaluate the effectiveness of various mitigation strategies to address these disparities.
气候变化导致极端高温事件的频率和强度增加，且这一趋势预计将持续。这带来了重大的健康风险，尤其是对儿童等弱势群体而言。虽然先前的研究主要集中在极端高温对身体健康的影响，但对行为结果，如犯罪行为的关注较少。
本研究利用青少年大脑认知发展（ABCD）研究的数据，调查儿童极端高温暴露与犯罪行为之间的关联。它还探讨了邻里社会经济地位（SES；以房屋中位价值衡量）、青春期、同伴偏差和经济困难的潜在中介作用。
分析来自全国ABCD研究的数据，以评估极端高温暴露（暴露）与犯罪行为（结果）之间的关系。协变量包括种族/民族、性别和年龄。所考察的中介因素为邻里SES、青春期、同伴偏差和经济困难。采用结构方程模型（SEM）进行数据分析。
总体而言，11878名儿童进入我们的分析。分析显示，极端高温暴露与儿童更高水平的犯罪行为之间存在显著关联。更多暴露于极端高温的儿童更可能是黑人，居住在社会经济地位较低的社区，经历更大的经济困难，且青春期发育更成熟。面临最高高温暴露的群体在经济上也处于不利地位。
研究结果表明，已经因社会经济因素处于不利地位的儿童受到极端高温的影响尤其大，导致犯罪行为增加。这凸显了需要有针对性的干预措施来保护这些弱势群体，并解决极端高温暴露的中介因素。未来的研究应侧重于纵向研究，并评估各种缓解策略解决这些差异的有效性。
