# Environmental and Biological Influences on Child Health: Examining the Effects of Lead Exposure and Social Risk Factors on Neurocognition

> **NIH NIH F31** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2020 · $42,496

## Abstract

SUMMARY
Lead is a well-known neurotoxicant, with lead exposure accounting for 63.8% of the global burden of idiopathic
developmental intellectual disability. Importantly, lead exposure does not occur in isolation, but coexists with
other social risk factors, such as low socioeconomic status, that influence neurodevelopment and impact
similar neurocognitive outcomes. Impaired neurocognition, such as decreased IQ and working memory, can
lead to poor health behaviors and outcomes in adolescence and adulthood. Because of this, it is critical to
understand how childhood lead exposure and social risk factors interact to influence later neurocognition and
examine the biological mechanisms within this relationship. This fellowship application will give the applicant
the necessary training and research experiences to become an independent nurse researcher with developing
expertise in lead exposure, social risk factors, biological stress, neurodevelopment, and advanced
methodological and analytical skills. This foundational training is critical for the applicant to achieve her career
goal of becoming an independent nurse researcher examining longitudinal relationships. The applicant will
conduct a secondary data analysis to examine the interaction effect of childhood lead exposure and social risk
factors on adolescent neurocognitive outcomes and explore sustained biological stress as a shared
mechanism of action for that relationship. There is prior empirical support for the interaction effect of childhood
lead exposure and social risk factors on adolescent neurocognition and theoretical support for the mediating
effect of sustained biological stress on this relationship, but further empirical testing is needed. The specific
aims of this study are to: 1) Examine the interaction effect of childhood lead exposure and social risk factors on
adolescent neurocognition 2) Assess the relationships between childhood lead exposure, social risk factors,
and adolescent heart rate variability during a stress test (a marker of sustained biological stress), and 3)
Examine low heart rate variability (sustained biological stress) as a mediator for the relationship between
childhood lead exposure, social risk factors, and adolescent neurocognition. This study will analyze data from
the Jintan China Child Cohort Study using multiple linear regression and path analysis methods. The applicant
will also complete an individualized training plan, including coursework and research experiences, to guide her
in achieving her training goals. This study will be an initial step in a program of research to understand the
interrelationship of childhood lead exposure and social risk factor’s influence on neurocognition and to develop
interventions to improve the neurocognitive outcomes of children exposed to lead. This proposal aligns with the
National Institute of Nursing Research’s mission of enhancing wellness through understanding the
environmental influences on behavior and by exami...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10149779
- **Project number:** 1F31NR019527-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Olivia MaryFrances Halabicky
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $42,496
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-15 → 2021-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10149779

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10149779, Environmental and Biological Influences on Child Health: Examining the Effects of Lead Exposure and Social Risk Factors on Neurocognition (1F31NR019527-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10149779. Licensed CC0.

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