RT Journal Article
T1 Air pollution exposure during pregnancy and reduced birth size: a prospective birth cohort study in Valencia, Spain
A1 Ballester, Ferrán
A1 Estarlich, Marina
A1 Iñiguez, Carmen
A1 Llop, Sabrina
A1 Ramón, Rosa
A1 Esplugues, Ana
A1 Lacasaña, Marina
A1 Rebagliato, Marisa
K1 Contaminantes del aire
K1 Exposición materna
K1 Embarazo
K1 Valencia
K1 Estudios prospectivos
AB BackgroundMaternal exposure to air pollution has been related to fetal growth in a number of recent scientific studies. The objective of this study was to assess the association between exposure to air pollution during pregnancy and anthropometric measures at birth in a cohort in Valencia, Spain. MethodsSeven hundred and eighty-five pregnant women and their singleton newborns participated in the study. Exposure to ambient nitrogen dioxide (NO2) was estimated by means of land use regression. NO2 spatial estimations were adjusted to correspond to relevant pregnancy periods (whole pregnancy and trimesters) for each woman. Outcome variables were birth weight, length, and head circumference (HC), along with being small for gestational age (SGA). The association between exposure to residential outdoor NO2 and outcomes was assessed controlling for potential confounders and examining the shape of the relationship using generalized additive models (GAM). ResultsFor continuous anthropometric measures, GAM indicated a change in slope at NO2 concentrations of around 40 μg/m3. NO2 exposure >40 μg/m3 during the first trimester was associated with a change in birth length of -0.27 cm (95% CI: -0.51 to -0.03) and with a change in birth weight of -40.3 grams (-96.3 to 15.6); the same exposure throughout the whole pregnancy was associated with a change in birth HC of -0.17 cm (-0.34 to -0.003). The shape of the relation was seen to be roughly linear for the risk of being SGA. A 10 μg/m3 increase in NO2 during the second trimester was associated with being SGA-weight, odds ratio (OR): 1.37 (1.01-1.85). For SGA-length the estimate for the same comparison was OR: 1.42 (0.89-2.25). ConclusionsPrenatal exposure to traffic-related air pollution may reduce fetal growth. Findings from this study provide further evidence of the need for developing strategies to reduce air pollution in order to prevent risks to fetal health and development.
PB Biomed Central
YR 2010
FD 2010-01-29
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10668/296
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10668/296
LA en
NO Ballester F, Estarlich M, Iñiguez C, Llop S, Ramón R, Esplugues A, et al. Air pollution exposure during pregnancy and reduced birth size: a prospective birth cohort study in Valencia, Spain. Environ Health. 2010 Jan 29; 9:6
DS RISalud
RD Jun 1, 2025