Air Pollution and Birth Weight in Atlanta Infants
Author Information
Author(s): Darrow Lyndsey A., Klein Mitchel, Strickland Matthew J., Mulholland James A., Tolbert Paige E.
Primary Institution: Emory University
Hypothesis
Is there a relationship between ambient air pollution during pregnancy and birth weight in full-term infants?
Conclusion
The study found that higher levels of certain air pollutants during late pregnancy were associated with small reductions in birth weight.
Supporting Evidence
- Higher levels of NO2, SO2, and PM2.5 during the third trimester were linked to lower birth weights.
- The mean birth weight was 3,405 g for the full cohort.
- The study included 406,627 full-term births from 1994 to 2004.
Takeaway
Breathing dirty air while pregnant can make babies a little smaller when they are born.
Methodology
The study analyzed birth records and air pollution data, using distributed lag models to assess the impact of pollutants during different gestational periods.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to measurement error in pollution exposure and residential mobility of participants.
Limitations
The study may have measurement errors in air pollution data and did not account for all potential confounding factors.
Participant Demographics
The cohort included singleton non-Hispanic African-American, non-Hispanic Caucasian, and Hispanic infants.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Confidence Interval
−16.5 to −4 g per IQR increase in pollutant concentrations
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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