Evaluation of the Blood Lead Screening Component of the Southern Nevada Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program

Context: While public health programs and policies have worked to reduce lead exposure, lead poisoning remains a major preventable public health concern in the United States. Objective: In Clark County, Nevada, blood lead level (BLL) screening has historically been sparse. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the Southern Nevada Childhood Lead Poisoning & Prevention Program (CLPPP) in increasing screening efforts and identifying children with elevated blood lead levels (EBLLs). Main Outcomes: The proportion of children screened after the implementation of the CLPPP and the number of children identified with detectable BLLs. Results: A total of 43 028 BLL results for children younger than 6 years were assessed from 2006 to 2011. More than 19% of children tested during the project period had a detectable BLL. The number of BLL tests for children younger than 6 years increased from 4180 in 2005-2006 to 9304 in just the second year of CLPPP implementation. Once the initial implementation grant was over and additional funding was unavailable, the BLL screening once again declined to 5541 in 2016-2017. Conclusion: Evaluation of CLPPP activities suggests that outreach and education efforts, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, played a significant role in increasing blood lead screening in Southern Nevada. However, despite these efforts, less than 5% of all children younger than 6 years were screened, which has declined further after the end of federal support

Association between Home and Community Environment on Body Mass Index of Kindergarten Age Children in Clark County, NV

Background: Childhood obesity is a critical public health concern in the U.S. Recent studies have found that a substantial component of childhood obesity is already established by age 5. This study aimed to examine the role of home and community factors on BMI in children entering kindergarten. Methods: The Kindergarten Health Survey is distributed annually to a random selection of schools in Clark County, NV. Data collected during the 2011-2013 school years were utilized. Factors included BMI and hours of screen time. Community environment factors included parks, grocery stores, and fast food outlets. Linear regression was used to develop a predictive model for BMI in Clark County, NV children entering kindergarten. Results: 4,048 children were included in analysis; 15.8% were underweight, 54.8% were normal weight, 10.7% were overweight, and 18.7% were obese. Our predictive model was significant (p\u3c0.001). Significant predictors included screen-hours (b=0.131, p\u3c0.001) and number of parks (b=-0.126, p=0.016). Number of grocery stores and fast food outlets were not significant. Conclusion: Increased screen-time was associated with increased BMI whereas number of parks was a protective factor. While the effect was small, this study was done on a novel population and found environmental influences on BMI may start at a very young age