ABSTRACT
Report-back of research results (RBRR) is becoming standard practice for environmental health research studies. RBRR is thought to increase environmental health literacy (EHL), although standardized measurements are limited. For this study, we developed a report back document on exposure to air pollutants, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, during pregnancy through community engaged research and evaluated whether the report increased EHL. We used focus groups and surveys to gather feedback on the report document from an initial group of study participants (Group 1, n = 22) and then sent the revised report to a larger number of participants (Group 2, n = 168). We conducted focus groups among participants in Group 1 and discussed their suggested changes to the report and how those changes could be implemented. Participants in focus groups demonstrated multiple levels of EHL. While participant engagement critically informed report development, a survey comparing feedback from Group 1 (initial report) and Group 2 (revised report) did not show a significant difference in the ease of reading the report or knowledge gained about air pollutants. We acknowledge that our approach was limited by a lack of EHL tools that assess knowledge and behavior change, and a reliance on quantitative methodologies. Future approaches that merge qualitative and quantitative methodologies to evaluate RBRR and methodologies for assessing RBRR materials and subsequent changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behavior, may be necessary.
Subject(s)
Cohort Studies , Environmental Exposure , Environmental Health , Child , Female , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Environmental Exposure/adverse effectsABSTRACT
Introduction: Prenatal environmental exposures have been associated with children's cognitive, behavioral, and mental health problems, and alterations in DNA methylation have been hypothesized as an underlying biological mechanism. However, when testing this hypothesis, it is often difficult to overcome the problem of multiple comparisons in statistical testing when evaluating a large number of developmental outcomes and DNA methylation sites as potential mediators. The objective of this study is to implement a 'meet-in-the-middle' approach with a sequential roadmap to address this concern. Methods: In the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health birth cohort study, we implemented a 5-step sequential process for identifying CpG sites that mediate associations between prenatal environmental exposures and cognitive, behavioral, and mental health problems as measured by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). These steps include 1) the identification of biological pathways that are relevant to each outcome of interest; 2) selection of a set of genes and CpGs on genes that are significantly associated with the outcomes; 3) identification of exposures that are significantly associated with selected CpGs; 4) examination of exposure-outcome relationships among those where significant CpGs were identified; and 5) mediation analysis of the selected exposures and corresponding outcomes. In this study, we considered a spectrum of environmental exposure classes including environmental phenols, pesticides, phthalates, flame retardants and air pollutants. Results: Among all considered exposures and outcomes, we found one CpG site (cg27510182) on gene (DAB1) that potentially mediates the effect of exposure to PAH on CBCL social problems at children aged 7. Conclusion: This 'meet-in-the-middle' approach attenuates concerns regarding multiple comparisons by focusing on genes and pathways that are biologically relevant for the hypothesis.
ABSTRACT
Particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 µm or less (PM2.5) is a ubiquitous air pollutant that is increasingly threatening the health of adults and children worldwide. One health impact of elevated PM2.5 exposure is alterations in telomere length (TL)-protective caps on chromosome ends that shorten with each cell division. Few analyses involve prenatal PM2.5 exposure, and paired maternal and cord TL measurements. Here, we analyzed the association between average and trimester-specific prenatal PM2.5 exposure, and maternal and newborn relative leukocyte TL measured at birth among 193 mothers and their newborns enrolled in a New-York-City-based birth cohort. Results indicated an overall negative relationship between prenatal PM2.5 and maternal TL at delivery, with a significant association observed in the second trimester (ß = -0.039, 95% CI: -0.074, -0.003). PM2.5 exposure in trimester two was also inversely related to cord TL; however, this result did not reach statistical significance (ß = -0.037, 95% CI: -0.114, 0.039), and no clear pattern emerged between PM2.5 and cord TL across the different exposure periods. Our analysis contributes to a limited body of research on ambient air pollution and human telomeres, and emphasizes the need for continued investigation into how PM2.5 exposure during pregnancy influences maternal and newborn health.
ABSTRACT
A barrier in the children's environmental health field has been the lack of early-warning systems to identify risks of childhood illness and developmental disorders. We aimed to develop a methodology to identify an accessible biomarker measured in a small amount of blood to distinguish newborns at elevated risk from a toxic prenatal exposure, using air pollutants as a case study. Because air pollutants are associated with altered DNA methylation, we developed a pipeline using DNA methylation signatures measured in umbilical cord blood, which could be used as predictors of prenatal exposure. We used air pollution indicators, including modelled trimester-specific and pregnancy average NO2 and PM2.5, and DNA methylation signatures from Illumina arrays measured in two New York City-based longitudinal birth cohorts from the Columbia Centre for Children's Environmental Health. We developed a screening plus three-part pipeline that incorporates selection, testing, and validation to identify whether DNA methylation can be used to predict exposure to prenatal air pollution indicators, NO2 and PM2.5. Applying this pipeline, we found that cord blood DNA methylation could be used to predict high vs. low average pregnancy NO2 (AUC = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.52-0.68, with validation AUC = 0.60). Similar results were found for high vs. low third trimester NO2. In this proof of concept study using air pollutants as an example, we provide an approach (with a generalizable analytic pipeline) that can be used for prediction of prenatal exposure to contaminants. This approach has potential to identify children at risk of developmental disorders and illness resulting from prenatal exposure.
