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Identifying Critical Windows of Air Pollution Exposure during Preconception and Gestational Period on Birthweight

Year: 2023
Type: conference-abstract
Abstract: BACKGROUND AND AIM: Few studies have assessed air pollution exposure association with birthweight during both preconception and gestational periods. In this study, we aim to identify critical periods of air pollution exposure during preconception and gestational period on birthweight outcomes. METHOD: Leveraging a preconception cohort consisting of 14,220 pregnant women and newborns in Shanghai, China during 2016 – 2018, we assessed effects of NO₂ and PM₂.₅ exposure, derived from high-resolution spatial-temporal models, during preconception and gestational periods on outcomes including term birthweight, birthweight Z-score, small-for-gestational age (SGA) and large-for-gestational age (LGA). Linear and logistic regression approaches were used to estimate 3-month preconception and trimester-averaged air pollution exposure associations; and distributed lag models (DLM) were used to identify critical exposure time windows at the weekly period from preconception to delivery. Two-pollutant models and effect modifications of children’s sex were explored. RESULTS: One standard deviation (SD) (11.5 µg/m³, equivalent to 6.1 ppb) increase in NO₂ exposures during the second and third trimesters were associated with 13% (95% confidence interval: 2 % – 26%) and 14% (95% CI: 1% – 29%) increase in SGA, respectively; and one SD (9.6 µg/m3) increase in PM2.5 exposure during the third trimester was associated with 15% (95% CI: 1% – 31%) increase in SGA. DLM found that gestational weeks 22 – 32 a critical exposure time window, when NO₂ exposure had strongest associations with SGA. The effects of air pollution exposure tended to be stronger in female newborns than in male newborns (p-value 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We found that air pollution exposure during mid-to-late pregnancy was associated with adverse birthweight outcomes.
DOI: 10.1289/isee.2023.fp-236
Authors: Jiawen Liao, Yi Zhang, Zhenchun Yang, Chenyu Qiu, Wu Chen, Junfeng (jim) Zhang, Kiros Berhane, Bin Han, Jia Xu, Yong Hui Jiang, Frank Gilliland, Weili Yan, Guoying Huang, Zhanghua Chen
Institutions: University of Southern California, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Duke University, Columbia University, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Yale University
Language: English
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4390965036
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