Utilizing daily excessive concentration hours to estimate small for gestational age infants attributable to fine particulate matter in Wuhan, China

ABSTRACT

Limited studies in China have explored the association between gravidae exposure to PM_2.5 and small for gestational age infants (SGA), yielding inconsistent results. This study in Wuhan utilized daily excessive concentration hours (DECH) as a novel measure to assess PM_2.5‘s impact on SGA. Data on air pollutants and pregnant women were collected from the Wuhan Municipal Ecology and Environmental Bureau and Wuhan Children’s Hospital, respectively. Logistic regression models were employed to evaluate the contribution of PM_2.5-DECH and PM_2.5-mean to SGA. Significant correlations were observed between PM_2.5-mean and SGA during the second trimester [OR = 1.23 (95% CI: 1.14–1.32)] and the entire pregnancy [OR = 1.15 (95% CI: 1.07–1.24)]. Similar correlations were found between PM_2.5-DECH and SGA. These findings suggest that increased PM_2.5 exposure is associated with a higher risk of SGA, and DECH may be used as a prospective substitute indicator for daily average concentration in similar studies.

KEYWORDS:

• Fine particulate matter
• small for gestational age infants
• daily excessive concentration hours

Acknowledgements

We sincerely thank all the participants, research staff, and administrators for their support in this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Availability of data and computing code

The data used in this study is not publicly available due to privacy or proprietary restrictions. It was sourced from a specific organization or institution under a data-sharing agreement. However, researchers who are interested in replicating the results can contact [email protected] to inquire about the availability of the code and its potential sharing, subject to any restrictions or considerations.

Ethics statement

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Wuhan Children’s Hospital (2021R139-F01).

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/09603123.2024.2337835

Additional information

Funding

The authors declare that no funds, grants, or other support were received during the preparation of this manuscript.