Latest Data
Explore the latest data for the LHI topic Environment Quality.
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Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going
Exposure to Unhealthy Outdoor Air
Between 2006–2008 and 2009–2011, the number of AQI-weighted people days when air quality was considered unhealthy has decreased 44 percent, exceeding the HP2020 target. Although the AQI is highly dependent on local, seasonal, and annual variation in weather, outdoor air quality (using a different measure) has been improving substantially for several decades.
Children Exposed to Secondhand Smoke
Between 2005–08 and 2009–10, exposure to secondhand smoke among children aged 3 to 11 years decreased 19.5 percent, from 52.2 percent to 42.0 percent, exceeding the HP2020 target. Exposure to secondhand smoke varies by race and ethnicity, country of birth, family income level, and health insurance status.
Leading Health Indicators
Explore the latest data and disparities for each indicator
Air Quality Index (AQI) exceeding 100 (EH-1)
Children aged 3 to 11 years exposed to secondhand smoke (TU-11.1)
Air Quality Index (AQI) exceeding 100 (EH-1)
- Healthy People 2020 objective EH-1 tracks the Number of AQI-weighted people days the Air Quality Index (AQI) exceeds 100.
- HP2020 Baseline: In 2006-2008, the AQI exceeded 100 for 2.237 billion AQI-weighted people days over 100.
- HP2020 Target: 1.98 billion AQI-weighted people days.
- Between 2006-2008 and 2009-2011 the number of AQI-weighted people days has decreased 44% from 2.237 billion AQI-weighted people days to 1.252 billion AQI-weighted people days the AQI exceeded 100.
Endnotes:
- The AQI weight is the proportion of the AQI greater than 100 (for example, an AQI of 141 yields an AQI weight of 1.41). The population of an area is multiplied by the AQI weight to produce weighted people-days. All areas with an AQI greater than 100 are summed by AQI-weighted people-days for each year and averaged for the 3-year period.
- Data for this measure are available annually and come from the Air Quality System (AQS), EPA.
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Children aged 3 to 11 years exposed to secondhand smoke (TU-11.1)
- Healthy People 2020 objective TU-11.1 tracks the proportion of children aged 3-11 years who were exposed to second hand smoke.
- HP2020 Baseline: In 2005-2008, 52.2% of children aged 3-11 years were exposed to secondhand smoke.
- HP2020 Target: 47.0%, a 10 percent improvement over the baseline.
- Between 2005-08 and 2009-10, exposure to secondhand smoke among children aged 3-11 years decreased 19.5%, from 52.2% to 42.0%.
- Among racial and ethnic groups, Hispanic children aged 3-11 years had the lowest rate (30.7%) of exposure to secondhand smoke in 2009-10. The rate for non-Hispanic black children (67.8%) was more than 2 times the rate for Hispanics and rate for non-Hispanic white children (41.7%) was nearly 1.5 times the rate for Hispanics.
- Children born outside the US were less likely to be exposed to secondhand smoke than children born in the US (18.7% vs. 43.2%). The rate for children born in the US was nearly two and a half times the rate for children born outside the US.
- Among family income levels, children aged 3-11 years who lived in families at 200-399% of the Federal Poverty Level had the lowest statistically reliable rate of secondhand smoke exposure (39.0%). Children living in families with lower income levels had higher rates of second hand smoke exposure.
- Children living in families at 100-199% of the Federal Poverty Level had a rate of exposure of 51.0%, nearly one and a half times the best rate.
- Children living in families below the Federal Poverty level had a rate of exposure of 59.5%, about one and a half times the best rate.
- Estimates for children living in families at 400-499% and 500% or more of the Federal Poverty Level were unreliable for 2009-10, so comparisons could not be made for these groups.
- Among insurance status groups, children aged 3-11 years with private health insurance had the lowest rate (31.3%) of secondhand smoke exposure in 2009-10. Children with public health insurance (55.8%) had nearly two times the rate of second hand smoke exposure and children with no health insurance (46.5%) had about one and a half times the rate of second hand smoke exposure.
Endnotes:
- Unless noted otherwise, all disparities described are statistically significant at the 0.05 level of significance.
- Data are for non-smokers aged 3-11 years who had a serum cotinine level greater than or equal to 0.05 ng/mL and less than or equal to 10 ng/mL. Children are considered to be non-smokers if they have a serum cotinine level less than or equal to 10ng/mL.
- The terms “Hispanic or Latino” and “Hispanic” are used interchangeably in this report.
- Data for this measure are available biennially and come from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), CDC/NCHS. Preferably four years of data are pooled for analysis when available, but two-year data are used as a placeholder to provide the latest data available. Note that two-year estimates are generally less stable and reliable than four-year estimates.
