Association between Environmental Temperature and Premature Birth Incidence in Mexico from 2008 to 2019

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between environmental temperature and preterm birth incidence and to estimate the national variation in both variables in Mexico. This approach is necessary because both variables have been associated in several places in the world but not in Mexico, where recent findings indicate an increase of up to 6°C in some states. Environmental temperature and birth data from 2008 to 2019 were obtained for all Mexican territories from open governmental databases. The data were cleaned and organized by state, year, and month to create a database with information on both environmental temperature and preterm birth incidence. Statistical tools were used to evaluate the relationships at the national and state levels, as well as to evaluate the tendency of environmental temperature. A comparison of both variables among states was also performed. The results indicate a soft, positive and significant association between environmental temperature and preterm birth incidence. Half of the states presented such an association. Both variables differed throughout the Mexican territory. The environmental temperature increased 1°C from 2008 to 2019. There is an association between temperature and preterm birth at the national level; however, at the state level, the association did not occur throughout the territory, so the pattern is not generalizable. Both variables differ among Mexican states. The environmental temperature has shown an increasing trend, which can lead to damage to human health.