Download or read book Exploring Spatial Relationships Among Dairy Farms, Drinking Water Quality, and Maternal-child Health Outcomes in the San Joaquin Valley written by Sarah Brown Blake and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Access to clean and affordable water is a significant public health issue globally, in the United States, and in California where land is heavily used for agriculture and dairy operations. The purpose of this study was to explore the geographic relationships among dairy farms, nitrate levels in drinking water, low birth weight, and socioeconomic data at the ZIP Code level in the San Joaquin Valley. The Translational Environmental Research in Rural Areas (TERRA) framework was used to explore these relationships as they relate to nursing practice. This was an ecological study using a Geographic Information System (GIS) to explore and analyze secondary data sources. Rural Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) codes, California Department of Public Health (CDPH) 2011 birth data by ZIP Code, dairy locations from the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (CVRWQCB), and drinking water quality information from the California Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) program were used in the analysis. In addition, U.S. Census data were incorporated for demographic descriptive purposes. Data from ZIP Codes with dairies located in the eight counties in the San Joaquin Valley area of California were compared to ZIP Codes without dairies in the same counties. A total of 211 ZIP Codes were analyzed using spatial autocorrelation and regression analysis methods in ArcGIS version 10.1. Descriptive data revealed that ZIP Codes with dairies had a higher percentage of Hispanic births (p = 0.001). Spatial statistics revealed that ZIP Codes with more dairy farms and a higher dairy cow density had higher levels of nitrate contamination. No direct correlation was detected between LBW and unsafe nitrate levels at the ZIP Code level. It is possible that more variation may occur at smaller geographies. Further research examining communities that use private and small community wells in the San Joaquin Valley should be conducted. In addition, birth data at smaller geographies should be used to continue exploring the relationship between birth outcomes and nitrate contamination in drinking water. Implications for nursing practice are discussed within the context of the TERRA framework.