Trimester-Specific Blood Trihalomethane and Urinary Haloacetic Acid Concentrations and Adverse Birth Outcomes: Identifying Windows of Vulnerability during Pregnancy

Abstract Background A growing body of evidence is beginning to highlight how mass incarceration shapes inequalities in population health. Non-Hispanic blacks are disproportionately affected by incarceration and criminal law enforcement, an enduring legacy of a racially-biased criminal justice system with broad health implications for black families and communities. Louisiana has consistently maintained one of the highest rates of black incarceration in the nation. Concurrently, large racial disparities in population health persist. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of all births among non-Hispanic black women in Louisiana in 2014 to identify associations between parish-level (county equivalent) prevalence of jail incarceration within the black population and adverse birth outcomes (N = 23,954). We fit a log-Poisson model with generalized estimating equations to approximate the relative risk of preterm birth and low birth weight associated with an interquartile range increase in incarceration, controlling for confounders. In sensitivity analyses, we additionally adjusted for the parish-level index crime prevalence and analyzed regression models wherein white incarceration was used to predict the risk of adverse birth outcomes in order to quantify the degree to which mass incarceration may harm health above and beyond living in a high crime area. Results There was a significant 3% higher risk of preterm birth among black women associated with an interquartile range increase in the parish-level incarceration prevalence of black individuals, independent of other factors. Adjusting for the prevalence of index crimes did not substantively change the results of the models. Conclusion Due to the positive significant associations between the prevalence of black individuals incarcerated in Louisiana jails and estimated risk of preterm birth, mass incarceration may be an underlying cause of the persistent inequities in reproductive health outcomes experienced by black women in Louisiana. Not only are there economic and social impacts stemming from mass incarceration, but there may also be implications for population health and health inequities, including the persistence of racial disparities in preterm birth and low birth weight.

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Modest reduction in adverse birth outcomes following the COVID-19 lockdown

American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology ◽

10.1016/j.ajog.2020.12.1198 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ellen C. CANIGLIA ◽

Lerato E. MAGOSI ◽

Rebecca ZASH ◽

Modiegi DISEKO ◽

Gloria MAYONDI ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Birth Outcomes ◽

Adverse Birth Outcomes ◽

Modest Reduction

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Maternal Sociodemographic Factors and Antenatal Stress

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18136812 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (13) ◽

pp. 6812

Author(s):

Maheshwari Andhavarapu ◽

James Orwa ◽

Marleen Temmerman ◽

Joseph Wangira Musana

Keyword(s):

Birth Outcomes ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Household Income ◽

Maternal Education ◽

Secondary Analysis ◽

Positive Association ◽

Negative Association ◽

Adverse Birth Outcomes ◽

Biological Stress ◽

Antenatal Stress

Antenatal stress has been associated with adverse birth outcomes such as fetal growth restriction, low birth weight, and preterm birth. Understanding key determinants of stress in a vulnerable pregnant population has the potential of informing development of targeted cost-effective interventions to mitigate against these adverse birth outcomes. We conducted a secondary analysis of data from 150 pregnant women attending antenatal care services at a rural referral hospital in Kenya. The participants completed a sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire, the Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and gave a hair sample for cortisol and cortisone analysis. The association between selected sociodemographic predictors (age, parity, marital status, maternal education, household income, polygyny, and intimate partner violence) and outcomes (hair cortisol, hair cortisone, and PSS score) was examined using univariate, bivariate and multivariate models. We found a negative association between PSS scores and household income (β = −2.40, p = 0.016, 95% CI = −4.36, −0.45). There was a positive association of the ratio of hair cortisone to cortisol with Adolescent age group (β = 0.64, p = 0.031, 95% CI = 0.06, 1.22), and a negative association with Cohabitation (β = −1.21, p = 0.009, 95% CI = −2.11, −0.31). We conclude that household income influenced psychological stress in pregnancy. Adolescence and cohabitation may have an influence on biological stress, but the nature of this effect is unclear.

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Occupational exposure to pesticides in female tea garden workers and adverse birth outcomes

Journal of Biochemical and Molecular Toxicology ◽

10.1002/jbt.22677 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Shashi Nandar Kumar ◽

Kumar Vaibhav ◽

Banajit Bastia ◽

Vishwajeet Singh ◽

Meenakshi Ahluwalia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Occupational Exposure ◽

Birth Outcomes ◽

Adverse Birth Outcomes ◽

Tea Garden

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Paternal factors and adverse birth outcomes in Lanzhou, China

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth ◽

10.1186/s12884-020-03492-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jing Li ◽

Jie Qiu ◽

Ling Lv ◽

Baohong Mao ◽

Lei Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Birth Outcomes ◽

Medical Records ◽

Paternal Age ◽

Birth Cohort Study ◽

Adverse Birth Outcomes ◽

Care Hospital ◽

Maternal Factors ◽

Heavy Smoking ◽

Paternal Factors ◽

Low Education

Abstract Background Many maternal factors are known to be associated with adverse birth outcomes, but studies about paternal factors yielded inconsistent conclusions. The study was to assess whether paternal factors are associated with low birth weight (LBW), preterm birth (PTB), and small for gestational age (SGA). Methods A birth cohort study was conducted in 2010–2012 at the Gansu Provincial Maternity and Child Care Hospital, the largest maternity and childcare hospital in Lanzhou, China. Paternal age, ethnicity, educational level, height, weight, smoking, and drinking were collected. Birth outcomes and pregnancy complications were extracted from the medical records. Results During the study period, 10,121 participants were included; the overall prevalence of LBW, PTB, and SGA was 7.2, 9.9, and 7.8%, respectively. Paternal higher height (OR = 0.64 95%CI: 0.49, 0.83), higher weight (P for trend < 0.001), and higher BMI (P for trend < 0.001) could decrease the rate of LBW. Paternal higher education (OR = 0.55, 95%CI: 0.43, 0.71) and higher weight (P for trend < 0.001,) were associated with lower rate of PTB. Fathers who smoked more than 6 pack-years were associated with PTB (OR = 1.31, 95%CI: 1.07, 1.61). Paternal BMI > 23.9 kg/m2 (P for trend < 0.001,) and paternal education which above college (OR = 0.61, 95%CI: 0.50, 0.82) were associated with a lower rate of SGA. Conclusion Paternal low education is independently associated with PTB and SGA. Paternal heavy smoking is associated with PTB. Low paternal weight/BMI is independently associated with LBW, PTB, and SGA.

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