Using the 12-item short-form health survey (SF-12) to evaluate self-rated health in an environmental justice community

doi:10.1186/s13690-024-01417-y

. 2024 Oct 18;82(1):186.

doi: 10.1186/s13690-024-01417-y.

Using the 12-item short-form health survey (SF-12) to evaluate self-rated health in an environmental justice community

Leanne S Fawkes^{1

2}, Taehyun Roh³, Thomas J McDonald⁴, Jennifer A Horney⁵, Weihsueh A Chiu⁶, Garett T Sansom⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Texas A&M School of Public Health, 212 Adriance Lab Rd., College Station, TX, 77843, USA. fawkes@uthscsa.edu.
² Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Texas School of Public Health San Antonio at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA. fawkes@uthscsa.edu.
³ Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Texas A&M School of Public Health, 212 Adriance Lab Rd., College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
⁴ Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Texas A&M School of Public Health, 212 Adriance Lab Rd., College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
⁵ Epidemiology Program, University of Delaware, College of Health Sciences, 100 Discovery Boulevard, Newark, DE, 19713, USA.
⁶ Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, 4458 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.

PMID: 39425198
PMCID: PMC11488220
DOI: 10.1186/s13690-024-01417-y

Using the 12-item short-form health survey (SF-12) to evaluate self-rated health in an environmental justice community

Leanne S Fawkes et al. Arch Public Health. 2024.

. 2024 Oct 18;82(1):186.

doi: 10.1186/s13690-024-01417-y.

Authors

Leanne S Fawkes^{1

2}, Taehyun Roh³, Thomas J McDonald⁴, Jennifer A Horney⁵, Weihsueh A Chiu⁶, Garett T Sansom⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Texas A&M School of Public Health, 212 Adriance Lab Rd., College Station, TX, 77843, USA. fawkes@uthscsa.edu.
² Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Texas School of Public Health San Antonio at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA. fawkes@uthscsa.edu.
³ Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Texas A&M School of Public Health, 212 Adriance Lab Rd., College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
⁴ Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Texas A&M School of Public Health, 212 Adriance Lab Rd., College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
⁵ Epidemiology Program, University of Delaware, College of Health Sciences, 100 Discovery Boulevard, Newark, DE, 19713, USA.
⁶ Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, 4458 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.

PMID: 39425198
PMCID: PMC11488220
DOI: 10.1186/s13690-024-01417-y

Abstract

The Greater Fifth Ward (GFW) is a Northeast Houston, Texas, neighborhood with a legacy of industrial contamination and a confirmed cancer cluster. To understand self-rated health in the GFW, community-based participatory research (CBPR), was used to promote the inclusion of all partners. CBPR involves the community during each stage of the research process from design to research dissemination. A complete census was conducted, and 114 surveys were obtained in the environmental justice (EJ) community from July to November 2021. EJ communities shoulder an unfair burden of environmental exposures, pollution, and poor built environments. Mental and physical health were measured using the validated 12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12v2). We posited that the Black or African American (Black/AA) community would have lower mental composite scores (MCS) and physical composite scores (PCS) compared to the nation and their White counterparts. The MCS and PCS were calculated and compared against the national mean. Overall, participants had higher MCS and lower PCS than the national mean. Black/AA males and females had lower MCS compared to their White counterparts. White females had the lowest PCS among all respondents, significantly lower than the national average. MCS was lower among those who lived in the neighborhood longer. Burdens from pollution may impact residents' health and perceived health. Targeted interventions or programs that improve mental or physical health would benefit this community and other inequitably burdened neighborhoods.

Keywords: Environmental justice; Mental health; Physical health; Self-rated health.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

**Fig. 1**
Study area of the Greater Fifth Ward Neighborhood, Houston, TX

See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

1. Bullard RD. Dumping in Dixie: race, class, and environmental quality. Routledge; 2018.
1. Prochaska JD, Nolen AB, Kelley H, Sexton K, Linder SH, Sullivan J. Social determinants of health in environmental justice communities: examining cumulative risk in terms of environmental exposures and social determinants of health. Hum Ecol Risk Assessment: Int J. 2014;20(4):980–94. - PMC - PubMed
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[1] Bullard RD. Dumping in Dixie: race, class, and environmental quality. Routledge; 2018.

[2] Bullard RD. Dumping in Dixie: race, class, and environmental quality. Routledge; 2018.

[3] Prochaska JD, Nolen AB, Kelley H, Sexton K, Linder SH, Sullivan J. Social determinants of health in environmental justice communities: examining cumulative risk in terms of environmental exposures and social determinants of health. Hum Ecol Risk Assessment: Int J. 2014;20(4):980–94. - PMC - PubMed

[4] Prochaska JD, Nolen AB, Kelley H, Sexton K, Linder SH, Sullivan J. Social determinants of health in environmental justice communities: examining cumulative risk in terms of environmental exposures and social determinants of health. Hum Ecol Risk Assessment: Int J. 2014;20(4):980–94. - PMC - PubMed

[5] Brender JD, Maantay JA, Chakraborty J. Residential proximity to environmental hazards and adverse health outcomes. Am J Public Health. 2011;101(S1):S37–52. - PMC - PubMed

[6] Brender JD, Maantay JA, Chakraborty J. Residential proximity to environmental hazards and adverse health outcomes. Am J Public Health. 2011;101(S1):S37–52. - PMC - PubMed

[7] Landrigan PJ, Rauh VA, Galvez MP. Environmental justice and the health of children. Mt Sinai J Medicine: J Translational Personalized Medicine: J Translational Personalized Med. 2010;77(2):178–87. - PMC - PubMed

[8] Landrigan PJ, Rauh VA, Galvez MP. Environmental justice and the health of children. Mt Sinai J Medicine: J Translational Personalized Medicine: J Translational Personalized Med. 2010;77(2):178–87. - PMC - PubMed

[9] Maantay J. Zoning law, health, and environmental justice: what’s the connection? J Law Med Ethics. 2002;30(4):572–93. - PubMed

[10] Maantay J. Zoning law, health, and environmental justice: what’s the connection? J Law Med Ethics. 2002;30(4):572–93. - PubMed

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Using the 12-item short-form health survey (SF-12) to evaluate self-rated health in an environmental justice community

Affiliations

Using the 12-item short-form health survey (SF-12) to evaluate self-rated health in an environmental justice community

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Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

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