Environmental pollution and social factors as contributors to preterm birth in Fresno County.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Padula AM
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6114053 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Environmental pollution and social factors as contributors to preterm birth in Fresno County.
Padula Amy M AM Huang Hongtai H Baer Rebecca J RJ August Laura M LM Jankowska Marta M MM Jellife-Pawlowski Laura L LL Sirota Marina M Woodruff Tracey J TJ
Environmental health : a global access science source 20180829 1
<h4>Background</h4>Environmental pollution exposure during pregnancy has been identified as a risk factor for preterm birth. Most studies have evaluated exposures individually and in limited study populations.<h4>Methods</h4>We examined the associations between several environmental exposures, both individually and cumulatively, and risk of preterm birth in Fresno County, California. We also evaluated early (< 34 weeks) and spontaneous preterm birth. We used the Communities Environmental Health ...[more]
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Project description:IntroductionGiven limited evidence of previous studies, we evaluated the role of environmental justice (EJ) burden (i.e., a neighborhood characterized by both increased environmental burden and socioeconomic deprivation) in Black-White disparities in spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) in Harris County, Texas and compared results that evaluated neighborhood-level socioeconomic deprivation alone.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective analysis using PeriBank, a database and biospecimen repository of gravidae giving birth at two hospitals in the Texas Medical Center. We included 3,703 non-Hispanic Black and 5,475 non-Hispanic white gravidae who were U.S.-born, delivered from August 2011-December 2020, and resided in Harris County, TX. We used data from the U.S. EPA EJScreen to characterize the EJ burden of participant's zip code of residence from fine particulate matter (PM2.5), ozone, and proximity to National Priorities List (NPL) sites and calculated zip-code level Area Deprivation Index (ADI). We assessed the contribution of neighborhood-level variables to the Black-White disparity in sPTB by evaluating attenuation of the odds ratio (OR) representing the effect of race in multivariable logistic regression models, controlling for individual-level characteristics. We also conducted race-stratified analyses between each neighborhood variable and sPTB. Exposure indices were treated as continuous variables; in stratified models, ORs and 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs) are presented per 10-unit increase in the neighborhood variable.ResultsAccounting for individual-level variables, Black gravidae had 79% higher odds of sPTB than white gravidae (OR = 1.79, 95%CI = 1.32, 2.44); the disparity was moderately attenuated when accounting for EJ burden or ADI (ORs ranged from 1.58 to 1.69). Though we observed no association between any of the EJ burden indices and sPTB among white gravidae, we found increased risks among Black gravidae, with ORs of similar magnitude for each EJ variable. For example, Black gravidae experienced 17% increased odds of sPTB associated with a 10-unit increase in the EJ burden index for PM2.5 (OR = 1.17, 95%CI = 0.97, 1.40). No racial differences were observed in the association of ADI with sPTB.DiscussionThough we observed limited evidence of the contribution of living in EJ neighborhoods to the Black-White disparity in sPTB, our study suggests living in an EJ neighborhood may differentially impact Black and white gravidae.
| S-EPMC10766384 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IMPORTANCE:Preterm birth is a leading cause of neonatal mortality, with a variety of contributing causes and risk factors. Environmental exposures represent a group of understudied, but potentially important, factors. Phthalate diesters are used extensively in a variety of consumer products worldwide. Consequently, exposure in pregnant women is highly prevalent. OBJECTIVE:To assess the relationship between phthalate exposure during pregnancy and preterm birth. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS:This nested case-control study was conducted at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. Women were recruited for a prospective observational cohort study from 2006-2008. Each provided demographic data, biological samples, and information about birth outcomes. From within this group, we selected 130 cases of preterm birth and 352 randomly assigned control participants, and we analyzed urine samples from up to 3 time points during pregnancy for levels of phthalate metabolites. EXPOSURE:Phthalate exposure during pregnancy. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES:We examined associations between average levels of phthalate exposure during pregnancy and preterm birth, defined as fewer than 37 weeks of completed gestation, as well as spontaneous preterm birth, defined as preterm preceded by spontaneous preterm labor or preterm premature rupture of the membranes (n?=?57). RESULTS:Geometric means of the di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) metabolites mono-(2-ethyl)-hexyl phthalate (MEHP) and mono-(2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl) phthalate (MECPP), as well as mono-n-butyl phthalate (MBP), were significantly higher in cases compared with control participants. In adjusted models, MEHP, MECPP, and? ??DEHP metabolites were associated with significantly increased odds of preterm birth. When spontaneous preterm births were examined alone, MEHP, mono-(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate, MECPP, ???DEHP, MBP, and mono-(3-carboxypropyl) phthalate metabolite levels were all associated with significantly elevated odds of prematurity. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE:Women exposed to phthalates during pregnancy have significantly increased odds of delivering preterm. Steps should be taken to decrease maternal exposure to phthalates during pregnancy.
| S-EPMC4005250 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background:Air pollution has been associated with hypertension and preterm birth. We examined if prenatal exposure to air pollutants was associated with gestational hypertension and if its association with preterm birth was modified by maternal hypertension. Methods:Data were from birth certificates and hospital discharge records of 252,205 women in San Joaquin Valley of California from 2000-2006. Air quality data were assigned from 24-hour averages of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), particulate matter <10?m (PM10) and <2.5?m (PM2.5), and carbon monoxide (CO) for different averaging periods over pregnancy. We estimated odds of preterm birth and multiplicative interaction between each pollutant and hypertensive disorder. Results:Among normotensive women, odds of preterm birth were slightly higher for higher exposure to all pollutants over the entire pregnancy. Patterns were similar among women with a hypertensive disorder. Among 32-36 week births there was effect modification for exposure to NO2 and CO during the first trimester with higher odds among hypertensive women, and PM2.5 and CO during the last six weeks with higher odds among normotensive women. For 28-31 week births, there was effect modification by hypertensive status for PM10 exposure for entire pregnancy, first, and second trimester with hypertensive women consistently having lower odds of preterm birth than normotensive. Conclusion:There was some evidence of effect modification in the direction counter to our hypothesis for exposure to PM10 and early preterm birth, and CO and PM2.5 at the end of pregnancy, but overall, hypertension did not modify the relationship between pollution and preterm birth.
| S-EPMC7015251 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundPreterm birth (PTB),2 defined as birth at gestational age <37 weeks, is a major public health concern. Infants born prematurely, comprising of about 10% of the US newborns, have elevated risks of neonatal mortality and a wide array of health problems. Although numerous clinical, genetic, environmental and socioeconomic factors have been implicated in PTB, very few studies investigate the impacts of multiple pollutants and social factors on PTB using large scale datasets.ObjectivesTo evaluate association between environmental and socioeconomic factors and PTB in California.MethodsWe linked the birth cohort file maintained by the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development from 2009 to 2012 years across 1.8 million births and the CalEnviroScreen 3.0 dataset from California Communities Environmental Health Screening Tool at the census tract level for 56 California counties. CalEnviroScreen contains 7 exposure and 5 environmental effects variables that constitute the Pollution Burden variable, and 5 socioeconomic variables. We evaluated relationships between environmental exposures and the risk of PTB using hierarchical clustering analyses and GIS-based visualization. We also used logistic regression to evaluate the relationship between specific pollutant and exposure indicators and PTB, accounted for socio-demographic determinants such as maternal race/ethnicity, maternal age, maternal education and payment of delivery costs.ResultsThere exists geographic variability in PTB for groups of counties with similar environmental and social exposure profiles. We found an association between Pollution Burden, particulate matter ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5), and Drinking Water Scores and PTB (adjusted odds ratios were 1.03 (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.01, 1.04), 1.03 (95% CI: 1.02,1.04), and 1.04 (95% CI: 1.03,1.05), respectively). Additional findings suggest that certain drinking water contaminants such as arsenic and nitrate are associated with PTB in California.ConclusionsCalEnviroScreen data combined with birth records offer great opportunity for revealing novel exposures and evaluating cumulative exposures related to PTB by providing useful environmental and social information. Certain drinking water contaminants such as arsenic and nitrate are potentially associated with PTB in California and should be investigated further. Small association signals may involve sizeable population impacts.
| S-EPMC6638551 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ImportancePreterm birth is a leading cause of preventable neonatal morbidity and mortality. Preterm birth rates at the national level may mask important geographic variation in rates and trends at the county level.ObjectiveTo estimate age-standardized preterm birth rates by US county from 2007 to 2019.Design, setting, and participantsThis serial cross-sectional study used data from the National Center for Health Statistics composed of all live births in the US between 2007 and 2019. Data analyses were performed between March 22, 2022, and September 29, 2022.Main outcomes and measuresAge-standardized preterm birth (<37 weeks' gestation) and secondarily early preterm birth (<34 weeks' gestation) rates by county and year calculated with a validated small area estimation model (hierarchical bayesian spatiotemporal model) and percent change in preterm birth rates using log-linear regression models.ResultsBetween 2007 and 2019, there were 51 044 482 live births in 2383 counties. In 2007, the national age-standardized preterm birth rate was 12.6 (95% CI, 12.6-12.7) per 100 live births. Preterm birth rates varied significantly among counties, with an absolute difference between the 90th and 10th percentile counties of 6.4 (95% CI, 6.2-6.7). The gap between the highest and lowest counties for preterm births was 20.7 per 100 live births in 2007. Several counties in the Southeast consistently had the highest preterm birth rates compared with counties in California and New England, which had the lowest preterm birth rates. Although there was no statistically significant change in preterm birth rates between 2007 and 2019 at the national level (percent change, -5.0%; 95% CI, -10.7% to 0.9%), increases occurred in 15.4% (95% CI, 14.1%-16.9%) of counties. The absolute and relative geographic inequalities were similar across all maternal age groups. Higher quartile of the Social Vulnerability Index was associated with higher preterm birth rates (quartile 4 vs quartile 1 risk ratio, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.31-1.36), which persisted across the study period. Similar patterns were observed for early preterm birth rates.Conclusions and relevanceIn this serial cross-sectional study of county-level preterm and early preterm birth rates, substantial geographic disparities were observed, which were associated with place-based social disadvantage. Stability in aggregated rates of preterm birth at the national level masked increases in nearly 1 in 6 counties between 2007 and 2019.
| S-EPMC10709777 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:Preterm birth is a global public health issue and rates in Puerto Rico are consistently among the highest in the USA. Exposures to environmental contaminants might be a contributing factor. METHODS:In a preliminary analysis from the Puerto Rico Testsite for Exploring Contamination Threats (PROTECT) cohort (n?=?1090), we investigated the association between urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations measured at three study visits (targeted at 20, 24, and 28?weeks of gestation) individually and averaged over pregnancy with gestational age at delivery and preterm birth. We additionally assessed differences in associations by study visit and among preterm births with a spontaneous delivery. RESULTS:Compared to women in the general USA population, urinary concentrations of metabolites of di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) and di-isobutyl phthalate (DiBP) were higher among pregnant women in Puerto Rico. Interquartile range (IQR) increases in pregnancy-averages of urinary metabolites of DBP and DiBP were associated with shorter duration of gestation and increased odds of preterm birth. An IQR increase in mono-n-butyl phthalate (MBP), a metabolite of DBP, was associated with 1.55?days shorter gestation (95% confidence interval [CI]?=?-2.68, -0.42) and an odds ratio (OR) of 1.42 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07, 1.88) for preterm birth. An IQR increase in mono-isobutyl phthalate (MiBP), a metabolite of DiBP, was associated with 1.16?days shorter gestation (95% CI?=?-2.25, -0.08) and an OR of 1.32 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.71) for preterm birth. Associations were greatest in magnitude for urinary concentrations measured at the second study visit (median 23?weeks gestation). DiBP metabolite associations were greatest in magnitude in models of spontaneous preterm birth. No associations were detected with other phthalate metabolites, including those of di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate. CONCLUSION:Among pregnant women in the PROTECT cohort, DBP and DiBP metabolites were associated with increased odds of preterm birth. These exposures may be contributing to elevated rates of preterm birth observed in Puerto Rico.
| S-EPMC6754790 | biostudies-literature
Project description:An emerging body of evidence suggests that ambient levels of air pollution during pregnancy are associated with preterm birth.To further investigate these relationships we used vital record data to construct a retrospective cohort of 476,489 births occurring between 1994 and 2004 in 5 central counties of metropolitan Atlanta. Using a time-series approach, we examined aggregated daily counts of preterm birth in relation to ambient levels of carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, ozone, particulate matter <10 microm in diameter (PM10), particulate matter <2.5 microm in diameter (PM2.5), and speciated PM measurements. Daily pollutant levels in 5-county Atlanta were characterized using a population-weighted spatial average of air quality monitors in the study area. We also examined ambient concentrations at individual monitors in analyses limited to mothers with residential geocodes within 4 miles of each monitor. Relationships between average pollution levels during 3 gestational windows of interest were modeled using Poisson generalized linear models. Results were adjusted for seasonal and long-term time trends.Although most results were null, there were 3 positive associations between ambient pollution levels and preterm birth in the 4-mile capture-area analyses. Daily preterm birth rates were associated with average NO2 concentrations in the preceding 6 weeks and with average PM2.5 sulfate and PM2.5 water-soluble metal concentrations in the preceding week.Results provide limited support for late-pregnancy effects of ambient air pollution on preterm birth.
| S-EPMC3780365 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundPreterm birth is a major perinatal health problem, but factors leading to it are still not completely understood.ObjectivesOur goal was to identify the relation between acute increase in ambient air pollution in a few hours before onset of labor and the risk of preterm birth.MethodsWe collected registered birth outcome data and hourly ambient air pollution measurements during 2009‒2013 in Brisbane, Australia. Using a time-stratified case-crossover design and conditional logistic regression models with natural cubic splines, we assessed the shape of air pollution-preterm birth curve, after controlling for potential confounders. We also examined the effect modification of other factors.ResultsThe association between air pollution [nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and carbon monoxide (CO)] and preterm birth was nonlinear. Threshold concentrations for the mean of 0‒24 hr NO2, 24‒48 hr SO2, and 24‒48 hr CO before onset of labor were 7.6 parts per billion (ppb), 3.8 ppb, and 162.5 ppb, respectively. Increases in air pollution concentrations above thresholds were associated with increased risks of preterm birth. The odds ratios of preterm birth at the 95th percentile of NO2, SO2, and CO against the thresholds were 1.17 (95% CI: 1.08, 1.27), 1.01 (95% CI: 0.99, 1.04), and 1.18 (95% CI: 1.06, 1.32), respectively. The associations were modified by demographic factors, such as maternal smoking and socioeconomic status.ConclusionAcute increases in ambient air pollution concentrations above certain levels before onset of labor may stimulate preterm birth.CitationLi S, Guo Y, Williams G. 2016. Acute impact of hourly ambient air pollution on preterm birth. Environ Health Perspect 124:1623-1629; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/EHP200.
| S-EPMC5047774 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Preterm birth (PTB) identifies infants prematurely born <37 weeks/gestation and is one of the main causes of infant mortality. PTB has been linked to air pollution exposure, but its timing is still unclear and neglects the acute nature of delivery and its association with short-term effects. We analyzed 3 years of birth data (2015-2017) in Turin (Italy) and the relationships with proinflammatory chemicals (PM2.5, O3, and NO2) and biological (aeroallergens) pollutants on PTB vs. at-term birth, in the narrow window of a week before delivery. A tailored non-stationary Poisson model correcting for seasonality and possible confounding variables was applied. Relative risk associated with each pollutant was assessed at any time lag between 0 and 7 days prior to delivery. PTB risk was significantly associated with increased levels of both chemical (PM2.5, RR = 1.023 (1.003-1.043), O3, 1.025 (1.001-1.048)) and biological (aeroallergens, RR ~ 1.01 (1.0002-1.016)) pollutants in the week prior to delivery. None of these, except for NO2 (RR = 1.01 (1.002-1.021)), appeared to play any role on at-term delivery. Pollutant-induced acute inflammation eliciting delivery in at-risk pregnancies may represent the pathophysiological link between air pollution and PTB, as testified by the different effects played on PTB revealed. Further studies are needed to better elucidate a possible exposure threshold to prevent PTB.
| S-EPMC9860587 | biostudies-literature
Project description:birth size is affected by diverse maternal, environmental, social, and economic factors. analyze the relationships between birth size-shown by the indicators small for gestational age (SGA) and large for gestational age (LGA)-and maternal, social, and environmental factors in the Argentine province of Jujuy, located in the Andean foothills. data was obtained from 49,185 mother-newborn pairs recorded in the Jujuy Perinatal Information System (SIP) between 2009 and 2014, including the following: newborn and maternal weight, length/height, and body mass index (BMI); gestational age and maternal age; mother's educational level, nutritional status, marital status and birth interval; planned pregnancy; geographic-linguistic origin of surnames; altitudinal place of birth; and unsatisfied basic needs (UBN). The dataset was split into two groups, SGA and LGA, and compared with adequate for gestational age (AGA). Bivariate analysis (ANOVA) and general lineal modeling (GLM) with multinomial distribution were employed. for SGA newborns, risk factors were altitude (1.43 [1.12-1.82]), preterm birth (5.33 [4.17-6.82]), older maternal age (1.59 [1.24-2.05]), and primiparous mothers (1.88 [1.06-3.34]). For LGA newborns, the risk factors were female sex (2.72 [5.51-2.95]), overweight (1.33 [1.22-2.46]) and obesity (1.85 [1.66-2.07]). the distribution of birth size and the factors related to its variability in Jujuy are found to be strongly conditioned by provincial terrain and the clinal variation due to its Andean location.
| S-EPMC8775369 | biostudies-literature