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Master of Public Health

Associations between early-life exposure to PM and reductions in childhood lung function in two North American longitudinal pregnancy cohort studies

AUTHORS

Rosa MJ , Lamadrid-Figueroa H , Alcala C , Colicino E , Tamayo-Ortiz M , Mercado-Garcia A , Kloog I , Just AC , Bush D , Carroll KN , Téllez-Rojo MM , Wright RO , Gennings C , Wright RJ , . Environmental epidemiology (Philadelphia, Pa.). 2022 12 14; 7(1). e234

ABSTRACT

UNLABELLED: Data integration of epidemiologic studies across different geographic regions can provide enhanced exposure contrast and statistical power to examine adverse respiratory effects of early-life exposure to particulate matter <2.5 microns in diameter (PM). Methodological tools improve our ability to combine data while more fully accounting for study heterogeneity.

METHODS: Analyses included children enrolled in two longitudinal birth cohorts in Boston, Massachusetts, and Mexico City. Propensity score matching using the 1:3 nearest neighbor with caliper method was used. Residential PM exposure was estimated from 2 months before birth to age 6 years using a validated satellite-based spatiotemporal model. Lung function was tested at ages 6-11 years and age, height, race, and sex adjusted z scores were estimated for FEV, FVC, FEF, and FEV/FVC. Using distributed lag nonlinear models, we examined associations between monthly averaged PM levels and lung function outcomes adjusted for covariates, in unmatched and matched pooled samples.

RESULTS: In the matched pooled sample, PM exposure between postnatal months 35-44 and 35-52 was associated with lower FEV and FVC z scores, respectively. A 5 µg/m increase in PM was associated with a reduction in FEV z score of 0.13 (95% CI = -0.26, -0.01) and a reduction in FVC z score of 0.13 (95% CI = -0.25, -0.01). Additionally PM during postnatal months 23-39 was associated with a reduction in FEF z score of 0.31 (95% CI = -0.57, -0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Methodological tools enhanced our ability to combine multisite data while accounting for study heterogeneity. Ambient PM exposure in early childhood was associated with lung function reductions in middle childhood.

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