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This study examines instances of negative mentoring among undergraduate researchers within STEM education, and specifically, the common yet subtle issue of inadequate mentoring characterized by a faculty mentor's failure to provide their mentee with adequate research, educational, career-related, or emotional support. Using data from the Mentor-Relate survey of 514 participants in the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates program, we identify prevalent patterns of inadequate mentoring and examine protective factors against it. Results indicate that inadequate research support is the least prevalent form, while inadequate educational and career guidance is more common, and inadequate emotional support is the most prevalent. Enhanced faculty mentoring skills emerge as a protective factor, with culturally responsive mentoring and gender concordance also playing significant protective roles. Less hierarchical mentoring structures, such as multiple faculty mentors, offer better emotional support. These findings underscore the importance of comprehensive mentor training and culturally sensitive practices to mitigate inadequate mentoring in undergraduate research experiences. By promoting inclusive and supportive mentoring environments, institutions can maximize the transformative potential of undergraduate research experiences for all participants.
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Objective: We examined how mentorship, remote participation, and COVID-19 challenges were associated with the mental health of college students participating in summer research programs. Participants: Participants were students participating in 78 National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduate (REU) Sites during Summer 2022 (n = 516 students). Methods: We used multivariable generalized estimating equations that account for clustering by REU Site. Results: Students with more competent mentors had reduced depression severity. Students who spent ≥25% of their time doing remote research or ≥25% of their time in remote meetings and workshops had greater depression severity. Remote research was also associated with anxiety severity. Having a COVID-19 challenge that impacted students' research experience was associated with increases in depression and anxiety severity. Conclusions: Results suggest potential interventions: implement strategies to boost mentor competency and scaffold a support system into summer research programs to enhance student wellbeing. Additional research on remote engagement is needed.
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BACKGROUND: Legacies of discriminatory federal housing practices-e.g., racialized property appraisal by the Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC) and institutionalized redlining by the Federal Housing Administration-include disparate present-day environmental health outcomes. Noise pollution is health-harming, but just one study has associated contemporary noise with redlining in some HOLC-mapped United States (US) cities, while two national studies found associations between greater neighborhood-level people of color composition and increased noise. No studies have examined noise pollution exposure disparities across all HOLC-mapped cities or based on the intersection of race/ethnicity and redlining. OBJECTIVE: We address three objectives: (1) Assess disparities in fine-scale, per person transportation noise exposures by historical redlining status across all HOLC-mapped cities. (2) Quantify disparities in noise exposures by race/ethnicity nationwide. (3) Explore interactions between redlining status and race/ethnicity in noise exposures. METHODS: We analyzed three data sources: (1) complete digital HOLC maps of ordered investment risk grades (A-D), (2) fine-scale (30 m) estimates of transportation noise levels (year-2020), and (3) sociodemographic characteristics of individuals in year-2020 census blocks. RESULTS: We find an approximately monotonic association for excess transportation noise with HOLC grade, marked by a pronounced exposure increase (17.4 dBA or 3× loudness) between contemporary residents of grade A (highest-graded) and D (lowest-graded) neighborhoods, a pattern consistent across HOLC-mapped cities. People of color experience ~7 dBA greater (2× louder) excess transportation noise exposures than White people nationwide, a pattern consistent across US counties. Noise exposure disparities are larger by HOLC grade than by race/ethnicity. However, contemporary racial/ethnic noise exposure disparities persist within each HOLC grade at levels approximating those disparities existing in ungraded areas, indicating that historical redlining is one of multiple discriminatory practices shaping contemporary national soundscape injustices. SIGNIFICANCE: Findings illustrate how historical redlining and broader racialized inequalities in US society have shaped environmental injustices nationwide. IMPACT STATEMENT: Excessive noise exposures harm human health. Communities of color in the United States experience disparate noise exposures, although previous studies are limited by reliance upon aggregated data. They are also disproportionately concentrated in historically redlined areas. Legacies of redlining include persistent racial and economic inequalities and environmental health disparities. Here, we conduct the first complete national examination of contemporary noise pollution disparities with respect to historical redlining and race/ethnicity. Findings advance understanding of the historical roots and enduring salience of race-based disparities in noise pollution exposures and can inform efforts to address these disparities through noise pollution policy-making.
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Background: Tree canopy cover has mental and physical health benefits for children, yet distributional environmental injustices in tree canopy cover near schools are rarely investigated. Some evidence suggests that tree canopy coverage positively influences aggregated school-level children's academic proficiency metrics. There is a lack of research if canopy cover moderates the negative effect of particulate matter on academic proficiency. Methods: We linked data on schools from the National Center for Education Statistics, Utah's Student Assessment of Growth and Excellence, the National Land Cover Database, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. We used generalized estimating equations, which account for non-normally distributed data and clustering, to analyze data from the 2015 to 2016 school year. Results: Greater school social disadvantage (higher percentages of students qualifying for free/reduced price meals and higher percentages of racial/ethnic minority students) was significantly associated with reductions in tree canopy cover within 1000 m and 500 m of the school. Greater tree canopy coverage at 1000 m and 500 m was significantly associated with a lower percentage of students testing below proficient on year-end math and language arts exams. Additional days of peak fine particulate matter were associated with higher percentages of students testing below proficient in math. Discussion: Socially disadvantaged primary schools in Utah were surrounded by less canopy cover. There was a protective effect of tree canopy cover on academic proficiency in math and language arts. Conclusion: Findings suggest targeting carefully designed tree planting efforts at socially disadvantaged schools and testing interventions involving tree planting and changes in academic proficiency.
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BACKGROUND: Research demonstrates that chronic exposure to fine particulates (PM2.5) increases risks of neurodevelopmental conditions, such as intellectual disability (ID). Few studies have examined neurodevelopmental health impacts of pollution spikes exceeding 24-h (24-h) PM2.5 guidelines, despite relevance to the regulatory landscape. The current potential for regulatory changes to 24-h PM2.5 standards in the United States makes research on exceedances relevant. OBJECTIVE: To examine associations between 24-h PM2.5 exceedances and the risk of ID. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective case-control study of a sample of children in Utah, USA. We used generalized estimating equations to predict odds of ID based on the number of 24-h PM2.5 exceedance days during the preconception period and three trimesters of pregnancy. Exceedance days are defined as per current World Health Organization (WHO) [≥15 µg/m3] and current US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) [≥35 µg/m3] 24-h guidelines. RESULTS: PM2.5 exceedances are associated with ID risk during the preconception and first trimester periods and not the second and third trimesters. During the preconception period, each day exceeding 15 µg/m3 or 35 µg/m3 was associated with a 1.023 (CI: 1.011-1.040) or 1.042 (CI: 1.026-1.059, p < 0.001) increase in odds of ID, respectively. During the first trimester, each day exceeding 15 µg/m3 or 35 µg/m3 was associated with a 1.032 (CI: 1.017-1.047) or 1.059 (CI: 1.030-1.088) increase in odds of ID, respectively. IMPACT STATEMENT: Potential regulatory movement on the US 24-h PM2.5 standard makes research that explicitly studies exceedances highly relevant. Yet few studies examine health effects of exceeding 24-h guidelines for any air pollutants. This study fills important gaps in the literature by examining associations between odds of intellectual disability and the count of days exceeding current 24-h PM2.5 guidelines, as established by the World Health Organization and US Environmental Protection Agency, during the prenatal period. We find that exceedances of both sets of guidelines, during the preconception and first trimester periods, are associated with ID risk.
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Hispanic/Latinx young adults remain significantly underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, yet the role families play in these young adults' trajectories in STEM is still underexamined. The purpose of this study was to examine the relational supports and constraints that Hispanic/Latinx college students in STEM majors experienced with their parents as they moved through college and transitioned into their first year of graduate school or full-time employment. Two rounds of interviews were conducted with 18 Hispanic/Latinx young adults who were part of an undergraduate STEM program at a Hispanic-majority university. Most of the study participants reported benefiting from immense emotional support from their parents; however, this emotional support was often simultaneously coupled with home-school value conflicts and a dynamic we call "conversational constraints." Results from this study point to important interventions involving family that might improve the rates of participation of Hispanic/Latinx students from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds in STEM fields.
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Engineering , Students , Humans , Young Adult , Students/psychology , Engineering/education , Technology/education , Hispanic or Latino , MathematicsABSTRACT
COVID-19 created unprecedented challenges for college students, highlighting the need to provide educational contexts that foster well-being. Summer undergraduate research experiences (SUREs) constitute a high-impact practice, yet little systematic knowledge exists about how the first surge of COVID-19 influenced undergraduate researchers' well-being. This knowledge is important for preparing for future disruptions. This study applies the student well-being model (SWBM) to examine how SURE status (e.g., modification vs. cancellation) impacted students' mental health and graduate school intentions using primary survey data collected from U.S. undergraduate researchers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields in Summer 2020 (n = 408, from 131 institutions). Just under half had their SURE canceled, and the others engaged in modified SUREs. Students whose SUREs were canceled had reduced anxiety severity (p < 0.05), but greater concerns about graduate school matriculation (p < 0.001), compared with students with modified SUREs. Results suggest that modified SUREs are a reasonable path forward under conditions where in-person contact is untenable. Results point toward potential improvements in higher education practices that may enhance student well-being following disruptive events. Program directors can address potential causes of anxiety in modified SUREs, advocate for student-centered adjustments to graduate admission processes, and use experiences during COVID-19 as a springboard to broaden participation in undergraduate research.
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COVID-19 , Students , Humans , Intention , Schools , AnxietyABSTRACT
Having a diverse workforce in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine) fields is essential for the United States to remain competitive in the global economy and to create a more just society. Faculty-mentored undergraduate research experiences have been identified as a high-impact practice for encouraging students from diverse backgrounds to pursue STEMM education and careers. Despite extensive research examining factors influencing the effectiveness of mentor-mentee relationships, there is still limited understanding of how differences or similarities in the social identities of mentors and mentees, which we term mentor-mentee discordance, impact undergraduates' research experiences and outcomes. In this perspective, we propose that mentor-mentee discordance should be conceptualized as a multidimensional, continuous construct and suggest a global index to measure varying degrees of discordance in mentoring relationships. We also offer a conceptual model that incorporates the Discordance Index to systematize the understanding of the effects of discordant mentoring relationships on student development across social contexts and over time. Finally, we provide recommendations for future researchers, STEMM educators, and program directors who are interested in using the Discordance Index.
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Mentoring , Mentors , Humans , United States , Program Evaluation , Students , FacultyABSTRACT
Studies have sought to understand the underrepresentation of women and racial/ethnic minority groups in STEM, but less attention has been paid to primary school students. Using data from a nationally-representative sample, this study identified factors influencing US third-grade children's self-perceived competencies in math and science, while controlling for their actual abilities. Results indicate that girls had degraded self-perceptions of their math competencies compared to boys, but similar self-rated science competencies. Black students exhibited buoyed self-perceived math competencies, while Hispanic and indigenous students underestimated their science competencies. Students who reported being satisfied with parental attention, friends, and neighborhood had higher self-perceived competencies in both math and science.
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There has been growth in Early College High Schools, and other similar programs, to improve racial/ethnic minority and first-generation students' access to higher education. As a result, there has been an increase in nontraditionally aged students (e.g., students under 18) in higher education. Despite increases in students under 18 attending universities, little is known about these students' academic achievement and experiences. This mixed method study addresses that limitation by using institutional and interview data from one Hispanic Serving Institution to examine the academic achievement and college experiences of young Latino/a student's (i.e., beginning college before the age of 18). Generalized estimating equations were used to compare the academic performance of Latino/as <18 to Latino/a students ages 18-24, and interviews were conducted with a subset of the students to understand the results. Quantitative results indicate that young students outperformed students who are 18-24 years of age in terms of GPA over three semesters in college. Interviews showed that participating in high school programs designed for college bound students; an openness to seek help; and avoidance of high-risk behaviors were possible explanations behind the academic success of young Latino/as.
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BACKGROUND: While natural disasters have been found to affect both disabled and subsidized rental housing residents negatively and disproportionately, previous studies have not examined if adverse disaster impacts experienced by disabled individuals in subsidized housing developments differ from those living in other housing. OBJECTIVE: We focused on Winter Storm Uri in Texas, USA, which lasted from February 10-20, 2021. We sought to: (1) compare differences in adverse impacts suffered by households with and without disabled persons; and (2) examine how residency in US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-assisted rental housing influences the severity of impacts for households with disabled persons. METHODS: We collected data from 790 randomly selected households in eight Texas metropolitan areas through a bilingual phone survey. Bivariate and multivariable statistical methods were utilized to compare adverse impacts suffered by households, based on both disability status and HUD-assisted housing residency. RESULTS: Households with disabled persons were more severely impacted by Uri than households without disabled persons, in terms of service disruptions, colder temperatures, slower recovery, and adverse experiences that have important health implications. Households with disabled persons residing in HUD-assisted housing were more negatively impacted and suffered more adverse experiences than those living in other housing. CONCLUSIONS: Residency in federally-assisted rental housing can worsen severity of adverse impacts and amplify disaster vulnerability for disabled individuals. These disparities based on disability and subsidized housing status emphasize the need for additional research to understand the impacts of disasters on disabled residents and formulate interventions that provide equitable protections.
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Disabled Persons , Disasters , Humans , Housing , Public Housing , TexasABSTRACT
Prenatal fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure is an understudied risk factor for neurodevelopmental outcomes, including intellectual disability (ID). Associations among prenatal exposures and neurodevelopmental outcomes may vary depending on the timing of exposure. Limited numbers of studies examining PM2.5 and neurodevelopmental outcomes have considered exposures occurring during the preconception period. To address these gaps, we conducted a case-control study of children born in Utah between 2002 and 2008 (n = 1032). Cases were identified using methods developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network and matched with controls on birth year, sex, and birth county. We estimated the daily average PM2.5 concentration during a period spanning 12 weeks before the estimated conception date, as well as during each of the three trimesters at the maternal residential address listed on the child's birth certificate. In a multivariable model, the third (OR: 2.119, CI: 1.123-3.998, p = .021) and fourth (OR: 2.631, CI: 1.750-3.956, p < .001) quartiles for preconception average PM2.5 demonstrated significantly increased risk of ID relative to the first quartile. Second quartile preconception exposure was also associated with increased risk, though it did not reach significance (OR: 1.385, CI: 0.979-1.959, p = .07). The fourth quartile of first trimester average PM2.5 was positive and significant (OR: 2.278, CI: 1.522-3.411, p < .001); the third quartile was positive, but not significant (OR: 1.159, CI: 0.870-1.544, p = .312). Quartiles of second and third trimester were not associated with higher risk of ID. These findings from Utah, which were robust to a variety of sensitivity analyses, provide initial evidence that preconception and prenatal PM2.5 exposure may be associated with ID. Future studies are needed across other geographic locations and populations.
Subject(s)
Air Pollutants , Air Pollution , Intellectual Disability , Pregnancy , Child , Female , Humans , Case-Control Studies , Intellectual Disability/chemically induced , Intellectual Disability/epidemiology , Utah/epidemiology , Maternal Exposure/adverse effects , Particulate Matter/toxicity , Particulate Matter/analysis , Air Pollutants/toxicity , Air Pollutants/analysis , Air Pollution/adverse effects , Air Pollution/analysisABSTRACT
In the 1930s, the Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC) graded the mortgage security of urban US neighborhoods. In doing so, the HOLC engaged in the practice, imbued with racism and xenophobia, of "redlining" neighborhoods deemed "hazardous" for lenders. Redlining has caused persistent social, political and economic problems for communities of color. Linkages between redlining and contemporary food access remain unexamined, even though food access is essential to well-being. To investigate this, we used a census tract-level measure of low-income and low grocery store food access from the US Department of Agriculture Food Access Research Atlas, redlining data from Mapping Inequality Project, and demographic data from the American Community Survey. We employed generalized estimating equations with robust covariance estimates to analyze data pertaining to 10,459 census tracts in 202 US cities. Tracts that the HOLC graded as "C" ("decline in desirability") and "D" ("hazardous") had reduced contemporary food access compared to those graded "A" ("best"). Increases in contemporary census tract proportions of Black, Hispanic, or other racial/ethnic minority residents, as well as disabled residents, were associated with reduced food access. Increases in contemporary proportions of residents age 75 years and older or those without a car were associated with better food access. Tracts that underwent housing redevelopment since being graded had better food access, while those undergoing gentrification had reduced food access. Results suggest that issues of redlining, housing discrimination, racism, ableism, displacement, and food inaccessibility are deeply intertwined.
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We assessed sociodemographic disparities in basic service disruptions caused by Winter Storm Uri in Texas. We collected data through a bilingual telephone survey conducted in July 2021 (n = 753). Being Black, having children, and renting one's residence were associated with longer power outage durations; being Black was also associated with longer water outages. Our findings highlight the need to plan for and ameliorate inequitable service outages and their attendant health risks in climate change-related extreme weather events such as Uri. (Am J Public Health. 2023;113(1):30-34. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.307110).
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Housing , Water , Child , Humans , Texas/epidemiologyABSTRACT
Previous research on health effects of extreme weather has emphasized heat events even though cold-attributable mortality exceeds heat-attributable mortality worldwide. Little is known about the mental health effects of cold weather events, which often cascade to produce secondary impacts like power outages, leaving a knowledge gap in context of a changing climate. We address that gap by taking a novel "cascading disaster health inequities" approach to examine winter storm-associated post-traumatic stress (PTS) using survey data (n = 790) collected in eight Texas metro areas following Winter Storm Uri in 2021, which occurred against the backdrop of COVID-19. The incidence of storm-related PTS was 18%. Being Black (odds ratio [OR]: 6.6), Hispanic (OR: 3.5), or of another non-White race (OR: 4.2) was associated with greater odds of PTS compared to being White, which indicates substantial racial/ethnic inequities in mental health impacts (all p < 0.05). Having a disability also increased odds of PTS (OR: 4.4) (p < 0.05). Having piped water outages (OR: 1.9) and being highly impacted by COVID-19 (OR: 3.3) increased odds of PTS (both p < 0.05). When modelling how COVID-19 and outages cascaded, we compared householders to those with no outages and low COVID-19 impacts. PTS was more likely (p < 0.05) if householders had a water or power outage and high COVID-19 impacts (OR: 4.4) and if they had water and power outages and high COVID-19 impacts (OR: 7.7). Findings provide novel evidence of racial/ethnic inequities and cascading effects with regard to extreme cold events amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Disasters , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic , Humans , COVID-19/epidemiology , Weather , Pandemics , Texas/epidemiology , Health Inequities , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/epidemiology , WaterABSTRACT
We conducted a novel investigation of neighborhood-level racial/ethnic exposure disparities employing measures aligned with long-term and short-term PM2.5 air pollution benchmarks across metropolitan contexts of the contiguous United States, 2012-2016. We used multivariable generalized estimating equations (GEE) to quantify PM2.5 exposure disparities based on the census tract composition of people of color (POC) and POC groups (Hispanic/Latina/x/o, Black, Asian). We examined eight census tract-level measures of longer-to-shorter term exposures derived from data on modeled daily ambient PM2.5 concentrations. We found associations between increased POC composition and greater exposure to all PM2.5 measures, with associations strengthening across measures of longer-to-shorter term exposures. In a GEE with a negative binomial distribution, a standard deviation increase in POC composition predicted a 0.6% increase (incidence rate ratio (IRR): 1.006, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.005-1.008) in the number of days PM2.5 concentrations were ≥5 µg/m3 (longest-term benchmark). In a GEE with an inverse Gaussian distribution, a standard deviation increase in POC composition predicted a 0.110 µg/m3 (1.0%) increase (B: 0.110, 95% CI: 0.076-0.143) in mean PM2.5 concentration. In GEEs with a negative binomial distribution, the effect of a standard deviation increase in POC composition on exposure strengthened to 2.6% (IRR:1.026, 95% CI:1.017-1.035), 3.4% (IRR:1.034, 95% CI:1.022-1.047), 4.2% (IRR:1.042, 95% CI:1.025-1.058), 16.2% (IRR:1.162, 95% CI:1.117-1.210), 22.7% (IRR:1.227, 95% CI:1.137-1.325) and 28.3% (IRR:1.283, 95% CI:1.144-1.439) with respect to the number of days PM2.5 concentrations were ≥10, 12, 15, 25, 35 and 55.5 µg/m3. POC group models indicated exposure disparities based on greater Hispanic/Latina/x/o, Asian, and Black composition. Evidence for stronger POC associations with shorter-term (higher concentration) PM2.5 exceedances suggests that reducing PM2.5 would attenuate racial/ethnic exposure disparities.
Subject(s)
Air Pollutants , Air Pollution , Air Pollutants/analysis , Air Pollution/analysis , Environmental Exposure/analysis , Humans , Particulate Matter/analysis , Racial Groups , United StatesABSTRACT
Fine particulate matter 2.5 microns or less in diameter (PM2.5) is widely recognized to be a major public health concern. While ethnic/racial minority and lower socioeconomic status individuals in the US experience higher PM2.5 exposure, previous research on social disparities in PM2.5 exposure has not examined residents of federally-assisted public housing developments (PHDs). Here we present the first national-scale analysis of the relationship between outdoor PM2.5 exposure and PHD residency in the US, as well as exposure disparities within the population of households residing in PHDs. We integrated data on average annual PM2.5 concentrations (2011-2015) with US Department of Housing and Urban Development data on PHDs (2015), and socio-demographic information from the 2011-2015 American Community Survey. Results from multivariable generalized estimating equations indicated that PHD locations, units, and residents are significantly overrepresented in neighborhoods with greater PM2.5 exposure, after accounting for clustering, urbanization, and other socio-demographic factors. Additionally, significantly higher percentages of Black, Hispanic, disabled, and extremely low-income households reside in PHDs with greater PM2.5 exposure. Findings represent an important starting point for future research and emphasize the urgent need to identify gaps in environmental, public health, and housing policies that contribute to disproportionate air pollution exposures among PHD residents.
Subject(s)
Air Pollutants , Air Pollution , Air Pollutants/analysis , Air Pollution/analysis , Environmental Exposure/analysis , Housing , Humans , Particulate Matter/analysis , Public HousingABSTRACT
Undergraduate research is a high-impact practice on college campuses. How the COVID-19 pandemic has affected undergraduate researchers' progress is poorly understood. We examine how demographics, academic characteristics, research disruptions and faculty mentorship are associated with four barriers to research progress. Data are drawn from a survey of over 1000 undergraduate student researchers across the US. We examine students who actively continued to conduct faculty-mentored research during mid-March/April 2020 (n = 485). Using generalized estimating equations that control clustering by institution, we found economic hardship, discomfort teleconferencing, lower quality mentors, sexual minority status and higher grade point averages were associated with motivation problems. Economic hardship, serious illness, Internet connection issues, a lack of face-to-face meetings and lower a frequency of mentor-mentee communication were associated with a time crunch with regard to conducting research. Discomfort teleconferencing, Internet connection issues, a lack of face-to-face meetings and decrease in research workload were associated with task uncertainty. Economic hardship, serious illness and being an engineering major were associated with lacking needed tools for the research. In sum, economic hardship was an important correlate of research barriers, as were communication challenges and sexual minority status. Results can inform practical actions by research program directors and faculty undergraduate research mentors.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , COVID-19/epidemiology , Humans , Mentors , Pandemics , Students , UniversitiesABSTRACT
While heavy metals exposure is associated with intellectual disability (ID), little is known about associations between industrial pollution and ID. The objective of this analysis is to assess associations between estimated perinatal industrial pollution exposures from the US Environmental Protection Agency's Risk Screening Environmental Indicators Microdata and children's ID risk. We conducted a case-control study of children born in Utah from 2000 to 2008 (n = 1679). Cases were identified through the Center for Disease Control's Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network's Utah site and matched with controls based on birth year, sex, and birth county. We used multivariable generalized estimating equations to examine associations between estimated perinatal industrial pollution exposures and ID risk. The fourth quartile of industrial pollution exposure was associated with increased odds of ID relative to the first (Odds Ratio [OR]: 1.73, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.23-2.44) and second (OR: 1.67, CI: 1.19-2.35) quartiles. Similarly, the third quartile was associated with increased odds of ID relative to the first (OR: 1.47, CI: 1.06-2.03) and second (OR: 1.41, CI: 1.02-1.96) quartiles. Findings were robust to varied model specifications. Maternal residential exposures to industrial pollution were associated with increased ID prevalence in Utah. Since environmental correlates of ID are understudied, additional research is needed.