This project will provide cross-discipline training for the Principal Investigator (PI), cultivating skills and expertise in the epidemiological study of both individual-and community-level life stessors, focusing in particular on how these stressors impact childhood asthma risk. The PI is trained in pulmonary medicine and has completed a fellowship in respiratory epidemiology at the Channing Laboratory, earning an MPH from the Harvard School of Public Health. Further training and research will be carried out under the supervision of a multidisciplinary, highly qualified advisory committee of sponsors and co- investigators with expertise in asthma epidemiology, life stress research, developmental and neuropsychological outcomes, immunology, and community-level stress research (i.e., violence epidemiology). Career development will be enhanced through cross-discipline course work and participation in seminars and national meetings related to stress and respiratory research. This award, along with the PI's clinical and scientific background, will facilitate the development of a successful independent research career with a focus on environmental stress and asthma outcomes. Etiologies of the rising prevalence and morbidity of asthma, and of the disproportionate burden among urban children, are not well understood. Differential exposure to life stress may in part explain disparities in disease burden. The role of stress in the expression of asthma is largely unexplored in epidemiological studies. The overall scientific goal of the proposed studies is to examine the associations between multi-level measures of life stress (i.e., negative life events, perceived stress, neighborhood disadvantage, violence exposure) and asthma outcomes in representative samples of urban children followed prospectively. We hypothesize that children exposed to high-level stress will be at greater risk for asthma development than children with low-level stress exposure. Furthermore, we hypothesize that high-stress environments will predict greater asthma morbidity (i.e., emergency room visits, hospitalizations). The influence of stress on T-helper cell differentiation as reflected in cytokine profiles and IgE production (TH2 phenotype) will also be examined. Additionally, sequelae of environmental stress, such as neuropsychological and behavioral impairments, that may affect health promotion behaviors (i.e., compliance) and result in greater asthma morbidity, will be assessed. The PI will gain expertise in the epidemiological approach to stress as it relates to asthma risk and will establish a network of long-term collaborative relationships that will enhance the ability to become an established independent investigator.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Type
Clinical Investigator Award (CIA) (K08)
Project #
5K08HL004187-02
Application #
6183120
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZHL1-CSR-K (M1))
Project Start
1999-08-15
Project End
2004-07-31
Budget Start
2000-08-01
Budget End
2001-07-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2000
Total Cost
$119,988
Indirect Cost
Name
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Department
Type
DUNS #
076593722
City
Boston
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
02215
Chiu, Yueh-Hsiu Mathilda; Bellinger, David C; Coull, Brent A et al. (2013) Associations between traffic-related black carbon exposure and attention in a prospective birth cohort of urban children. Environ Health Perspect 121:859-64
Suglia, Shakira Franco; Ryan, Louise; Bellinger, David C et al. (2011) Children's exposure to violence and distress symptoms: influence of caretakers' psychological functioning. Int J Behav Med 18:35-43
Sternthal, M J; Jun, H-J; Earls, F et al. (2010) Community violence and urban childhood asthma: a multilevel analysis. Eur Respir J 36:1400-9
Suglia, Shakira Franco; Staudenmayer, John; Cohen, Sheldon et al. (2010) Posttraumatic stress symptoms related to community violence and children's diurnal cortisol response in an urban community-dwelling sample. Int J Behav Med 17:43-50
Suglia, Shakira Franco; Ryan, Louise; Laden, Francine et al. (2008) Violence exposure, a chronic psychosocial stressor, and childhood lung function. Psychosom Med 70:160-9
Boynton-Jarrett, Renee; Ryan, Louise M; Berkman, Lisa F et al. (2008) Cumulative violence exposure and self-rated health: longitudinal study of adolescents in the United States. Pediatrics 122:961-70
Suglia, Shakira Franco; Ryan, Louise; Wright, Rosalind J (2008) Creation of a community violence exposure scale: accounting for what, who, where, and how often. J Trauma Stress 21:479-86
Suglia, S Franco; Gryparis, A; Wright, R O et al. (2008) Association of black carbon with cognition among children in a prospective birth cohort study. Am J Epidemiol 167:280-6
Franco Suglia, Shakira; Gryparis, Alexandros; Schwartz, Joel et al. (2008) Association between traffic-related black carbon exposure and lung function among urban women. Environ Health Perspect 116:1333-7
Suglia, Shakira Franco; Wright, Robert O; Schwartz, Joel et al. (2008) Association between lung function and cognition among children in a prospective birth cohort study. Psychosom Med 70:356-62

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