Ncg. Freeman et al., HYGIENE-RELATED AND FOOD-RELATED BEHAVIORS ASSOCIATED WITH BLOOD LEADLEVELS OF YOUNG-CHILDREN FROM LEAD-CONTAMINATED HOMES, Journal of exposure analysis and environmental epidemiology, 7(1), 1997, pp. 103-118
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.