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Breathing Inequality: How Air and Poverty Shape Heart Health

You know that feeling when you step outside and the air feels heavy? Or when you hear about a community struggling to make ends meet? What if those everyday realities were quietly shaping the health of entire counties? In Ohio and Pennsylvania, some places face a higher risk of heart disease and diabetes—not just because of lifestyle choices, but because of the air people breathe and the economic conditions they live in. This project digs into county-level data to see how poverty and air pollution (PM2.5) might be linked to diabetes rates, a key marker of cardiovascular risk. You'll explore maps and charts that reveal surprising patterns—maybe even in places you've visited. By the end, you'll see how public health isn't just about individual habits; it's about the environment and systems around us. Ready to uncover the hidden story in the data?

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  Think about the town or city you grew up in—what do you remember about the air quality or the number of factories nearby?

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  Have you ever noticed differences in health or access to healthy food between wealthier and poorer neighborhoods you've been to?

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  Can you recall a time when someone in your family or community dealt with heart problems or diabetes? What do you think might have contributed to it?