Exposure to the World Trade Center disaster and test performance among New York City public school students over time, 1998-2003.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Alper H ; Brackbill R ; Casey JA ; Farfel M ; Giesinger I ; Goin DE ; Locke S ; Takemoto E
• Description:
  Background. The World Trade Center (WTC) disaster exposed children to environmental toxins and emotional traumas. WTC exposure health effects have been well-documented; impacts on education outcomes, which have been associated with health over the life course, have not. We examined the WTC disaster's impact on math and English language arts (ELA) exams among New York City (NYC) public school students. Methods. Student-level data for 3rd graders in 1998-99 were obtained for five consecutive school years, three pre-9/11 and two post-9/11 from the NYC Department of Education. Piecewise linear mixed models with two slopes representing two time periods - pre-and post-9/11 - were used to examine the WTC impact on exam scores among 393 students in exposed Ground Zero area schools (WTC site: 0-1.5 miles) versus 39,047 students in unexposed NYC schools (WTC site: >6 miles). Results. On math exams, students in Ground Zero area schools were improving their scores in both the pre-9/11 period and post-9/11 period - with a slightly greater magnitude of improvement post-9/11 (change in slope post-9/11 from pre-9/11: 0.5, 95% CI: -3.1, 5.2). Students in unexposed schools experienced a slight decrease in the rate of improvement on math scores in the post-9/11 period (change in slope post-9/11 from pre-9/11: -0.6, 95% CI: -1.2, -0.0). On ELA exams, both students in Ground zero area schools and unexposed schools were positively increasing their test scores in both the pre-9/11 and post-9/11 period; both groups experienced a faster rate of improvement in the post-9/11 period (change in slope post-9/11 from pre-9/11 [95% CI]: Ground zero: 1.2 [-2-2, 4.5], unexposed: 3.0 [2.6, 3.4]. Conclusions. Compared to the pre-9/11 time-period, students in Ground Zero area schools experienced modest improvements in test scores in the post-9/11 time-period. Futures studies should evaluate long-term impacts on education, as outcomes may differ compared to the short-term effects. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Education Environmental Exposure Mental Health Nervous System Occupational Health Safety September 11 Terrorist Attacks
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Disaster Exposure; Education; Natural Experiment; September 11 Terrorist Attacks; Students World Trade Center; WTC; Children; Mental Health; Emotional Stress; Education; Environmental Exposure; Disaster Sites; Disaster Recovery;
• ISSN:
  2666-5603
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; New York ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20065059
• Citation:
  SSM Ment Health 2022 Dec; 2:100096
• Contact Point Address:
  Robert Brackbill, PhD MPH, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, World Trade Center Health Registry, NY, United States
• Email:
  rbrackbi@health.nyc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• Performing Organization:
  New York City Health/Mental Hygiene
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20090430
• Source Full Name:
  SSM - Mental Health
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b8be401b60ce684b2e794b3e5b21dfda68549bfb0cba0da148b54d2a9eab580c9718b0ffe50e662b5e558dd046a3dc7584ad93f0a72669d8086bfcb3162d36f8
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/249313/cdc_249313_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 771.38 KB ]