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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: AJPH.2005.077727v1 96/9/1611    most recent Submit a response View responses Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (2) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Houston, D. Articles by Winer, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Houston, D. Articles by Winer, A. Related Collections Community Health Geography Other Child and Adolescent Health Socioeconomic Factors Urban Health Other Environment

Douglas Houston, MA, Paul Ong, PhD, Jun Wu, PhD and Arthur Winer, PhD

Douglas Houston is a doctoral student in the Department of Urban Planning, University of California, Los Angeles. Paul Ong is with the Ralph and Goldy Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies and the School of Public Affairs, University of California, Los Angeles. Jun Wu and Arthur Winer are with the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Douglas Houston, MA, Ralph and Goldy Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies, School of Public Affairs, University of California, 3250 Public Policy Bldg, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1656 (e-mail: dhouston{at}ucla.edu).

Objectives. We assessed child care facilities’ proximity to heavily traveled roadways in an attempt to estimate the extent of potential exposure of young children to vehicle-related pollution in this understudied microenvironment.

Methods. We examined approximately 24 000 licensed child care facilities in California located within 200 m of heavily traveled roadways.

Results. Approximately 57000 of the available slots in California child care centers (7% of the overall capacity) are in facilities located within 200 m (650 ft) of roadways averaging 50000 or more vehicles per day, and another 172000 (21%) are in facilities located within 200 m of roadways averaging 25 000 to 49 000 vehicles per day. Facilities providing care to infants or preschool-aged children and facilities located in disadvantaged areas were more often situated in medium-or high-traffic areas.

Conclusions. Additional research is needed to further clarify the significance of the child care microenvironment in terms of potential childhood exposures to vehicle-related pollutants. Design strategies, notification standards, and distance-based siting restrictions should be considered in the facility licensing process and in land use and transportation planning.

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