Ambient Air Pollution and Smell Function: Evidence from the National Geographic Smell Survey.

Background: Olfactory sensory neurons are located outside the brain, allowing them to detect environmental chemicals. However, this comes at the cost of exposure to potential toxins, which may decrease olfactory function.

Methods: We sought to assess the association between olfactory function and air pollution, measured by the National Geographic Smell Survey and data from the Environmental Protection Agency.

The Effectiveness of Empowerment Versus Fear Messaging on Sugary Beverage Consumption Intentions Among Young Adult Latinas.

Excessive sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption poses a significant public health concern, particularly among historically marginalized populations targeted by industry marketing. This study compares the effectiveness of empowerment-based versus fear-based messaging on individual sugary beverage consumption intention and critical health literacy among Latinas aged 18 to 29 years ( = 231). Participants were randomized online to view either an empowerment-based video highlighting the risks of sugary beverage consumption and the beverage industry's manipulative practices or a usual care fear-based video centering on individual behaviors and risks.

Exposure to Environmental Chemicals and Infertility Among US Reproductive-Aged Women.

Environmental chemical exposure has been rising over the past few decades but its impact on fertility remains uncertain. We assessed exposures to 23 common chemicals across a range of sociodemographic characteristics and their relationship with self-reported infertility. The analytic sample was non-pregnant women aged 18-49 years without a history of hysterectomy or oophorectomy (n = 2579) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013-2016).

Trends and disparities in violence-related injury morbidity among pregnant and postpartum individuals.

Purpose: Violence against pregnant and postpartum individuals is a major public health problem. Homicides during the perinatal period have recently increased, yet these deaths reflect only the most extreme manifestation of violence. Far less is known about trends and disparities in pregnancy-associated violence morbidity.

Exposure to acute ambient temperature extremes and neonatal intensive care unit admissions: A case-crossover study.

Background: Extreme in utero temperatures have been associated with adverse birth outcomes, including preterm birth and low birthweight. However, there is limited evidence on associations with neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions, which reflect a range of poor neonatal health outcomes.

Methods: This case-crossover study assesses the associations between ambient temperature changes during the week of delivery and risk of NICU admission.

Impacts of heat and wildfire on preterm birth.

Background: Climate change continues to increase the frequency, intensity, and duration of heat events and wildfires, both of which are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Few studies simultaneously evaluated exposures to these increasingly common exposures.

Objectives: We investigated the relationship between exposure to heat and wildfire smoke and preterm birth (PTB).

Gestational Diabetes and Subsequent Metabolic Dysfunction: An National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Analysis (2011-2018).

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) complicates ∼10% of pregnancies, with the highest rates among Asian women. Evidence suggests that GDM is associated with an increased risk for future chronic health conditions, yet data for Asian women are sparse. We explored the association between prior GDM and metabolic dysfunction with nationally representative data to obtain Asian-specific estimates.

Pesticide Take-Home Pathways, Storage, and Application Methods Among Hmong Farmers in Central Valley, California.

Objective: Pesticide exposure via take-home pathways is a major health concern among farmers. However, little is known about the effects of pesticide take-home pathways on small-scale Hmong farmers in the Central Valley. This study explored factors that contribute to pesticide exposure via the take-home pathway among small-scale Hmong farmers in the Central Valley.

Measures of Racism and Discrimination in Preterm Birth Studies.

Objective: Preterm birth (any birth at less than 37 weeks of gestation) disproportionally affects Black birthing people and is associated with adverse perinatal and fetal health outcomes. Racism increases the risk of preterm birth, but standardized measurement metrics are elusive. This narrative synthesis examines literature on measures of racial discrimination used in preterm birth research.

Beyond the infant in your arms: effects of climate change last for generations.

Climate change is the biggest global health threat of the 21st century. In addition to short-term reproductive health impacts, climate-related events will influence the risks of long-term and intergenerational mortality and morbidity for both birthing parents and offspring. As climate conditions continue to deteriorate in future generations, less healthy parents will give birth to less healthy offspring, who themselves will experience increased risk of reproductive outcomes.

The Changing Climate and Pregnancy Health.

Purpose Of Review: Climate change is the biggest public health threat of the twenty-first century but its impact on the perinatal period has only recently received attention. This review summarizes recent literature regarding the impacts of climate change and related environmental disasters on pregnancy health and provides recommendations to inform future adaptation and mitigation efforts.

Recent Findings: Accumulating evidence suggests that the changing climate affects pregnancy health directly via discrete environmental disasters (i.

Protocol: Effectiveness of message content and format on individual and collective efficacy in reducing the intention to consume sugar-sweetened beverages.

The strategic use of media is a common approach to promote health. A large body of evidence identifies specific features that increase message efficacy, including tailoring messages to the target audience and using a storytelling format. Yet most message testing research has focused on individual-level outcomes, ignoring the social and environmental determinants of health behaviors, which require collective action and political will to change.

Air pollution and preterm birth: A time-stratified case-crossover study in the San Joaquin Valley of California.

Background: Air pollution is linked to preterm birth (PTB), but existing studies are primarily focused on chronic exposures, conducted in areas with moderate pollution, and/or subject to confounding.

Objectives: We investigated short-term associations between two pollutants [particulate matter <2.5 microns (PM ) and ozone] and PTB, and estimated excess PTB cases potentially attributed to these pollutants.

Risk of cardiovascular events during labor and delivery associated with acute ambient temperature changes.

Purpose: We assessed acute risk of cardiovascular events at labor/delivery with exposure to ambient temperatures during the week prior to delivery in a low-risk population.

Methods: A case-crossover design evaluated 191 women with cardiovascular events at labor/delivery in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Consecutive Pregnancies Study (Utah, 2002-2010). Using conditional logistic regression models, we estimated the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for each 1 °Celsius (1.

Joint effects of ethnic enclave residence and ambient volatile organic compounds exposure on risk of gestational diabetes mellitus among Asian/Pacific Islander women in the United States.

Background: Asian/Pacific Islander (API) communities in the United States often reside in metropolitan areas with distinct social and environmental attributes. Residence in an ethnic enclave, a socially distinct area, is associated with lower gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) risk, yet exposure to high levels of air pollution, including volatile organic compounds (VOCS), is associated with increased GDM risk. We examined the joint effects of ethnic enclaves and VOCs to better understand GDM risk among API women, the group with the highest prevalence of GDM.

Associations between Disability and Infertility among U.S. Reproductive-Aged Women.

We aim to evaluate the association between self-reported disabilities and infertility and whether disabilities are associated with decreased likelihood of seeking infertility-related care. This US nationally representative cross-sectional analysis includes 3789 non-pregnant women aged 18-49 years without history of hysterectomy or oophorectomy (NHANES, 2013-2018). Disabilities and infertility were both self-reported in personal interviews with trained interviewers.

Air pollution and neurological development in children.

Pregnancy and early childhood are periods with high plasticity in neurological development. Environmental perturbations during these sensitive windows can have lifelong developmental consequences. This review summarizes key findings relevant to the effects of air pollution on neurological development.

Ambient temperature and stillbirth: Risks associated with chronic extreme temperature and acute temperature change.

Background: Ambient temperature events are increasing in frequency and intensity. Our prior work in a U.S.

Extrapulmonary Coccidioidomycosis Among Children in Central California: A Retrospective Review.

Background: The literature on pediatric extrapulmonary coccidioidomycosis is limited. We reviewed the clinical course, diagnostic studies, treatment and outcomes of children with extrapulmonary coccidioidomycosis followed at a tertiary care center in central California.

Methods: Retrospective study of 78 patients ≤21 years old with extrapulmonary coccidioidomycosis diagnosed over 10 years (1/1/07-12/31/16).

Ethnic Enclaves and Pregnancy and Behavior Outcomes Among Asian/Pacific Islanders in the USA.

Objectives: Ethnic enclaves are ethnically, spatially, and socially distinct communities that may promote health through access to culturally appropriate resources and reduced exposure to discrimination. This study examined ethnic enclave residence and pregnancy outcomes among Asian/Pacific Islander (API) women in the USA.

Design: We examined 9206 API births in the Consortium on Safe Labor (2002-2008).

Prenatal and early life exposures to ambient air pollution and development.

Background: Residential proximity to major roadways, and prenatal exposures to particulate matter <2.5 μm (PM) and ozone (O) are linked to poor fetal outcomes but their relationship with childhood development is unclear.

Objectives: We investigated whether proximity to major roadways, or prenatal and early-life exposures to PM and O increase the risk of early developmental delays.