HYGIENE-RELATED AND FOOD-RELATED BEHAVIORS ASSOCIATED WITH BLOOD LEADLEVELS OF YOUNG-CHILDREN FROM LEAD-CONTAMINATED HOMES

Exposures associated with blood lead levels greater than 40 mu g/dL in young children who live in lead-contaminated homes have been well doc umented. As the action level for lead is reduced, activities that cont ribute to lower levels of lend exposure must be identified. A child's eating habits and related hygiene behaviors are major hand-to-mouth ac tivities that have been largely overlooked in the study of activities contributing to lead ingestion. To examine this subject, a survey ques tionnaire for caretakers of young children was developed. The objectiv e of the questionnaire was to characterize food-related activities of young children and to identify behavioral indicators of lead exposure. The association between food- and hygiene-related behaviors and blood lead levels among 60 children between 13 and 36 months old with low-t o-moderate blood lead levels was examined in homes that had been ident ified as containing lead in paint and house dust. The participants wer e enrolled in the Children's Lean Exposure and Reduction Study in Jers ey City, New Jersey. Blood lead levels of children 13-24 months old di d not differ significantly fr sm those of children 25-36 months of age (10.1 and 11.3 mu g/dL, respectively). Differences in eating habits a nd hygiene behaviors were found for the two age groups. Bivariate anal yses found that the primary behavioral indicators of blood lead levels were determined by whether the child prepared his/her own food and wh ether the child ate food that had been on the floor This factor was de pendent on age. Children 13-24 months old had significantly elevated b lood lead levels if these behaviors were exhibited. No significant dif ferences were found however for children 25-36 months old. Several foo d-related habits were also associated with blood lead levels. Eating h amburgers, doughnuts, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and cold cut s were associated with elevated blood lead levels in 13-24-month-old c hildren, while eating vitamins, raw vegetables, and yogurt were associ ated with lower blood lead levels in this age group. For children 25-3 6 months old, eating hamburgers and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches was associated with elevated blood lead levels, while yogurt consumpt ion was associated with lower blood lead levels.