HW 1b. H599

For this homework, we will consider the potential impacts of sewage spills on community health, using available literature, and a data set from South Carolina on hospital admissions.

Part A. Download from ISI Web of Science: Brokamp et al., 2017. Combined sewer overflow events and childhood emergency department visits: A case-crossover study. Sci Total Environ 607-608, 1180-1187.

A1. Write a summary of the study, including study design and adverse health impacts (³250 words). (10 points)

A2. Using Web of Science, choose one paper that cited Brokamp et al. and explain why the authors of the second paper cited the first paper (50-100 words). (10 points)

1. You will analyze two datasets, which contains hospital admission data for the city of Columba, SC, between 12/30/2012 and 12/24/2017, for gastrointestinal illnesses only. You may use Excel, or R, or another platform.

Keep in mind that many of the SSOs in Columbia, SC, occur in tributaries that feed into the Congaree River, which is also part of the drinking water supply for the city of Columbia. Therefore, sewage spills in the Congaree River and its tributaries may affect both surface water quality (via kayaking, swimming, etc.) and drinking water quality. For drinking water quality, you can access the boil water advisories in Columbia, SC, over the last 2 years: https://local.nixle.com/city-of-columbia-water-and-sewer/

B1. The first data set includes weekly admissions by sex, age category, and race. Answer the following questions (25 points).

1. What is the total number of cases of gastro-intestinal illness?

2. Which year had the highest number of cases? (you can combine 2012 with 2013)

3. What percentages of cases are for males or females?

4. Which age range has the highest percentage of cases?

5. Which race has the highest percentage of cases?

6. Compare your answer for 1e with the demographics for Columbia, SC from the U.S. Census Bureau (https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/columbiacitysouthcarolina). Which race is most vulnerable, with respect to gastro-intestinal illness? Why?

B2. Now let’s focus on the trends for children under 5. For this, you will use the second data set, which includes individual-level de-identified data. (25 points)

1. Which year had the highest number of cases?

2. What percentages of cases were for males or females?

3. Among children under 5, which race has the highest percentage of cases?

4. Which race is most vulnerable, with respect to gastro-intestinal illness? Why? For this question, you should assume the racial distribution for children <5 is the same as for the entire population

Make a powerpoint presentation with 5 slides, containing a summary of the results.