Child Environmental Health Disparities: Looking at the Present and Facing the Future

Break the Cycle of Childrens Environmental Health Disparities (BTC) is an annual collaborative interdisciplinary research and training program involving university students in academic tracks that focus on the impact of adverse social, economic and environmental factors on childrens health, development and education. The target populations are communities where environmental hazards are related to circumstances of social and economic disadvantage. Each student develops a project that focuses on preventing or reducing adverse environmental factors to benefit the children who live in these communities. At the end of the project, the students present their studies and findings at a national conference and write papers which are then published. The papers in this publication represent the work of students who participated in the 14th Annual Break the Cycle program. The phrase Break the Cycle in this context uses the ecological construct of the cycle of environmental health disparities and represents a framework for reducing health disparities and promoting health equity among children who are vulnerable as a consequence of adverse social, economic, environmental and political factors. The student projects are intended to break the cycle and liberate children from the intergenerational cycle of health disparities, so they can grow and develop to their full potential. Through this academic process, the students gain knowledge, insight and skills to enable them to advance in their careers and become future leaders.