Air pollution and low birth weight: a historical cohort study from Tehran

Abstract

This historical cohort study was designed to clarify the association between air pollution and low birth weight (LBW) amongst women referred to Tehran hospitals in 2007. In total, 225 eligible pregnant women who lived within 5 km of an air pollution monitoring station during their pregnancy were selected for the study. Data were collected via interview and hospital records. Exposure to each pollutant was estimated for each woman individually throughout her pregnancy and for each trimester. Exposures were modelled as categorical variables using inter-quartile ranges in a logistic regression model. The results showed a significant association between exposure to CO and LBW (OR = 2.08, 95% CI: 1.70-4.60), particularly during the second trimester (OR = 3.96, CI: 1.83-12.5. We conclude that exposure to air pollution during pregnancy may be associated with LBW.

Association between exposure to particulate matter during pregnancy and birthweight: a systematic review and a metaanalysis of birth cohort studies

“…1 . After carefully reviewing these articles, we distinguished fourteen for the final analysis from 2004 to 2016 [18,24,27–38] , of which six studies assessed PM 2.5 and LBW, twelve studies assessed PM 10 and LBW, and three studies assessed both birthweight and LBW. Table 1 (PM 2.5 -LBW) and Table 2 (PM 10 -LBW) show the major features of the studies chosen for meta-analysis.…”

Introducing a new measure for assessing self-efficacy in response to air pollution hazards for pregnant women

“…Tehran, the capital city of Iran, is one of the most polluted cities in the world [3]. Despite applying some policies and regulations in Iran, existed evidence has revealed that the current level of air pollutants in Tehran is above healthy levels.…”

“…Some adverse outcomes of air pollution for pregnant women include low birth weight, preterm labor, and intrauterine growth retardation that in turn could be leaded to a range of childhood and adulthood morbidity and mortality later [6-8] imposing extra costs to the health system [9]. However, there is a strong believe that we could prevent pregnant women from being exposed to air pollution [3]. As such, the most suggested preventive strategy is to reduce exposure to air pollution by reducing time spent outdoors [10-12].…”

Beliefs about health and illness and health-related behavior among urban women with gestational diabetes mellitus in the south east of China

“…The Chinese women with GDM also related their health to the natural world (Helman, 2007), such as the polluted air, which demonstrated that these women have paid attention to the influence of environments on their health. Exposure to air pollution in pregnancy may influence placental growth and function (van den Hooven et al, 2012) and be associated with low birth weight (Araban et al, 2012) and fetal morbidity outcomes (Mainolfi, Salihu, Wilson, & Mbah, 2013). Based on these reasons, professionals should educate these women ways to avoid the negative influence of the natural environment on their health.…”