The Interplay of Racism, Climate, and the Environment on Children and Adolescents

Sunday, April 30, 2023

11:00 AM – 12:30 PM ET

Location: Convention Center: Ballroom A

CE: Live CME: 1.50

Selected By: APS
Co-sponsored By: ISCHE, APS, SAHM, APA, AAP

Chair(s)

Tamera Coyne-Beasley, MD, MPH

Vice-Chair, Community Engagement, Division DIrector, Adolescent Medicine
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama, United States
Leslie Walker-Harding, MD (she/her/hers)

Chair, Department of Pediatrics
Pediatrics
University of Washington School of Medicine
Seattle, Washington, United States

Disclosure(s):

Tamera Coyne-Beasley, MD, MPH: Dynavax: Advisory Committee (Terminated, September 3, 2021); Moderna: Advisory Committee (Ongoing); Pfizer: Advisory Committee (Ongoing); Sanofi Pasteur: Advisory Committee (Ongoing); Sequiris: Advisory Committee (Ongoing)

Leslie Walker-Harding, MD: No financial relationships to disclose

Session

Description: Environmental conditions, or the quality and state of the environment, are an inescapable part of daily life. While many conditions of the environment are naturally occurring, the quality and impacts of the environment are often affected by historical, economic, and sociopolitical factors. Recent environmental crises in the US have disproportionately impacted people of color, people with disabilities or health conditions, low-income communities, tribal communities, immigrants, the elderly and children. Many aspects of the environment are expected to fluctuate with climate change, which is characterized by rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns across the globe. These include exacerbations of extreme weather events, shifts in food production, and changes to local built environments. As a result, climate change is expected to cause new and worsening public health challenges, especially among disadvantaged communities. We will highlight and discuss the environmental antecedents that impact health and the emergency management infrastructure in place at local, state and federal levels to support those communities. We will also focus on the interplay between racism and the environment, and our nutritional, physical and mental health.

Learning Objectives:

Understand the disproportionate impact on climate change on communities and its impact on physical and mental health, nutrition and social determinants of health
Discuss our role in and necessity of advocating for environmental justice and climate change interventions
Plan how we must prioritize and address climate and environmental threats as a primary prevention strategy

Presentations:

11:00 AM – 11:10 AM ET

The Interplay of Racism, Climate, and the Environment on Children and Adolescents
Speaker: Tamera Coyne-Beasley, MD, MPH – University of Alabama at Birmingham
11:10 AM – 11:25 AM ET

The environmental impacts on physical and mental health and it disproportionate impact on communities
Speaker: Leslie Walker-Harding, MD (she/her/hers) – University of Washington School of Medicine
11:25 AM – 11:40 AM ET

Infrastructure to support community preparation for, mitigation of, response to, or recovery from extreme weather events
Speaker: Joelle Simpson, MD, MPH – Children's National Health System
11:40 AM – 11:55 AM ET

The impacts of climate change and the environment on nutrition and physical activity habits in children and adolescents.
Speaker: Aida Miles, EdD, RDN, LD, CSP, FAND – University of Alabama, Birmingham
11:55 AM – 12:10 PM ET

The impact of the environment and climate change on employment and other social determinants of health
Speaker: Sheela Sathyanarayana, MD MPH – University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle Children's Hospital