Land-Use Regression of Long-Term Transportation Data on Metabolic Syndrome Risk Factors in Low-Income Communities

Traffic-related air pollution has been associated with adverse cardiovascular health effects in near-road residents. Transportation parameters are important surrogate variables to determine spatial variation of air pollution and consequential health outcomes. We used land-use regression models to explore associations between cardiovascular (metabolic syndrome [MetS]) health outcomes collected from a sample of low-income participants (N = 4,959) and transportation parameters within a defined impact zone of a participant's residence. We hypothesize cardiovascular risk factors are associated with spatially distributed transportation parameters and land-use data. MetS risk factors (waist circumference, blood pressure, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, and glucose) were obtained from 4,945 participants between 2014 and 2020 across the city of El Paso, Texas. Traffic-related and land-use variables were acquired from the El Paso MPO and the U.S. Census Bureau within two impact zones of 500 m and 1,000 m radius, centered at each participant resident's home latitude and longitude coordinates using GIS. The increase in street length within 500 m radius was found to associate with increases in BMI, waist circumference, triglycerides, and glucose (p < 0.05). Glucose showed positive relationships with inverse distance to the nearest international ports of entry (p = 0.02). Also, as the total length of the street increases, the likelihood of a high waist (p < 0.01), high triglycerides (p = 0.03), and low HDL-cholesterol (p < 0.01) also increased. Based on a multivariable regression model, a probability surface map was prepared to show the spatial distribution of likelihood for acquiring MetS in El Paso, TX.

Automated summary

The study found that an increase in street length within a 500-meter radius was associated with increases in BMI, waist circumference, triglycerides, and glucose levels. Glucose levels showed a positive relationship with the inverse distance to the nearest international ports of entry. Additionally, as the total length of the streets increased, the likelihood of high waist circumference, high triglycerides, and low HDL-cholesterol also increased.