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Traffic-related air pollution and birth weight: the roles of noise, placental function, green space, physical activity, and socioeconomic status (FRONTIER)
In this study, the investigators will recruit pregnant women in Barcelona and assess the effects of in-utero exposure to traffic-related pollution on birth weight, fetal growth trajectories, and placental function for each pregnancy. The investigators will estimate exposure to several pollutants and transportation noise and evaluate the roles of socioeconomic status, green space, physical activity, diet, and stress.
Poster abstract for HEI Annual Conference 2023
Traffic-related air pollution and birth weight: the roles of noise, placental function, green space, physical activity, and socioeconomic status (FRONTIER)
Payam Dadvand1 & Jordi Sunyer1, Maria Dolores Gómez-Roig2, Elisa Llurba3, Maria Foraster1, Gustavo Arévalo4, Mariona Bustamante1, Xavier Basagaña1, Mireia Gascon1, Michael Jerrett5, Jose Lao4, Edurne Mazarico Gallego2, Teresa Moreno6, Tim Nawrot7, Mark J Nieuwenhuijsen1, Xavier Querol6, Ioar Rivas1, Neus Rosell1, Joel Schwartz7, Cathryn Tonne1
1ISGlobal, Spain; 2BCNatal, University of Barcelona, Spain; 3Sant Pau University Hospital, UAB, Spain, 4Barcelona Regional, Spain; 5Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, USA; 6IDAEA-CSIC, Spain; 6Hasselt University, Belgium; 7Harvard School of Public Health, USA
Background. FRONTIER aims to provide a robust and comprehensive evaluation of the impact of maternal exposure to traffic-related air pollution on fetal growth. Towards this aim, it will (i) disentangle the effects of noise; (ii) identify the relevant window(s) of exposure; (iii) evaluate its modification by socioeconomic status, stress, and physical activity; (iv) elucidate the role of placental function as an underlying mechanism; and (v) explore the potential of green spaces to mitigate it.
Methods. FRONTIER has established a new pregnancy cohort of 1,080 pregnant women in Barcelona (BiSC), Spain. Fetal growth was characterized by anthropometric measures at birth together with ultrasound-based trajectories of fetal development. We are developing an innovative exposure assessment framework integrating objective data on time-activity patterns with a hybrid modeling framework combining dispersion and land use regression models and campaigns of personal and home-outdoor air pollution monitoring to estimate maternal exposure level as well as inhaled dose of black carbon, NO2, PM2.5, and PM2.5 Cu, Fe, and Zn in the main microenvironments for pregnant women (home, workplace, and commuting routes). We are assessing maternal exposure to noise by integrating measurements at participants’ home-outdoor using noise monitors with modeled microenvironmental levels of noise and data on noise sensitivity, annoyance, and protections against noise. We will develop single- and multi-pollutant models to evaluate the impact of air pollution exposure and inhaled dose on fetal growth and the mediatory role of placental function.
Results & Conclusions. BiSC mothers had an average age of 34.8 years and 49.2% of newborns were girl with the mean (SD) of birthweight of 3276.8(508.2)g. The mean (SD) of measured personal NO2 levels were 31.4(10.1)μg/m3 for the pre-pandemic period and 25.8(9.9)μg/m3 for the pandemic period. The mean (SD) of measured personal PM2.5 levels (pre-pandemic) was 20.1(14.6)μg/m3. The external validation R2 of our dispersion model hourly-based estimates of the total personal exposure (combining modelled levels with time-activity patterns and home indoor/outdoor ratio) to NO2 against measured personal levels was 0.32. This R2 for ambient levels of NO2, black carbon, and PM2.5 against measured levels at our campaign sites (n=32) were 0.65, 0.59, and 0.54, respectively. The cross-validation R2 of our LUR models for black carbon, NO2, PM2.5, and PM2.5 Cu, Fe, and Zn contents ranged between 0.45 and 0.89. These exposure estimates will be used to assess potential associations with adverse birth outcomes and placental function.
