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Marinescu PS, Olson-Chen C, Glantz JC, Hill E, Hollenbach SJ. The Geographical Correlation Between Historical Preterm Birth Disparities and COVID-19 Burden. Reprod Sci 2023; 30:1343-1349. [PMID: 36114330 PMCID: PMC9483302 DOI: 10.1007/s43032-022-01076-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Similar to obstetric outcomes, rates of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) infection are not homogeneously distributed among populations; risk factors accumulate in discrete locations. This study aimed to investigate the geographical correlation between pre-COVID-19 regional preterm birth (PTB) disparities and subsequent COVID-19 disease burden. We performed a retrospective, ecological cohort study of an upstate New York birth certificate database from 2004 to 2018, merged with publicly available community resource data. COVID-19 rates from 2020 were used to allocate ZIP codes to "low-," "moderate-," and "high-prevalence" groups, defined by median COVID-19 diagnosis rates. COVID-19 cohorts were associated with poverty and educational attainment data from the US Census Bureau. The dataset was analyzed for the primary outcome of PTB using ANOVA. GIS mapping visualized PTB rates and COVID-19 disease rates by ZIP code. Within 38 ZIP codes, 123,909 births were included. The median COVID-19 infection rate was 616.5 (per 100 K). PTB (all) and COVID-19 were positively correlated, with high- prevalence COVID-19 ZIP codes also being the areas with the highest prevalence of PTB (F = 11.06, P = .0002); significance was also reached for PTB < 28 weeks (F = 15.87, P < .0001) and periviable birth (F = 16.28, P < .0001). Odds of PTB < 28 weeks were significantly higher in the "high-prevalence" COVID-19 cohort compared to the "low-prevalence" COVID 19 cohort (OR 3.27 (95% CI 2.42-4.42)). COVID-19 prevalence was directly associated with number of individuals below poverty level and indirectly associated with median household income and educational attainment. GIS mapping demonstrated ZIP code clustering in the urban center with the highest rates of PTB < 28 weeks overlapping with high COVID-19 disease burden. Historical disparities in social determinants of health, exemplified by PTB outcomes, map community distribution of COVID-19 disease burden. These data should inspire socioeconomic policies supporting economic vibrancy to promote optimal health outcomes across all communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ponnila S Marinescu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Ave, Box 668, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA.
| | - Courtney Olson-Chen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Ave, Box 668, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA
| | - J Christopher Glantz
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Ave, Box 668, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA
| | - Elaine Hill
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Ave, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA
| | - Stefanie J Hollenbach
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Ave, Box 668, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, 601 Elmwood Ave, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA
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Berkowitz RL, Mujahid M, Pearl M, Poon V, Reid CK, Allen AM. Protective Places: the Relationship between Neighborhood Quality and Preterm Births to Black Women in Oakland, California (2007-2011). J Urban Health 2022; 99:492-505. [PMID: 35384585 PMCID: PMC9187821 DOI: 10.1007/s11524-022-00624-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Black women have the highest incidence of preterm birth (PTB). Upstream factors, including neighborhood context, may be key drivers of this increased risk. This study assessed the relationship between neighborhood quality, defined by the Healthy Places Index, and PTB among Black women who lived in Oakland, California, and gave birth between 2007 and 2011 (N = 5418 women, N = 107 census tracts). We found that, compared with those living in lower quality neighborhoods, women living in higher quality neighborhoods had 20-38% lower risk of PTB, independent of confounders. Findings have implications for place-based research and interventions to address racial inequities in PTB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel L. Berkowitz
- Department of Public Health and Recreation, College of Health and Human Sciences, San José State University, One Washington Square, San Jose, CA 95192-0052 USA
| | - Mahasin Mujahid
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, 2121 Berkeley Way, Room 5302, CA 94720-7360 Berkeley, USA
| | - Michelle Pearl
- Environmental Health Investigations Branch, California Department of Public Health, 850 Marina Bay Parkway, Building P, 3rd Floor, Richmond, CA 94804-6403 USA
| | - Victor Poon
- Environmental Health Investigations Branch, California Department of Public Health, 850 Marina Bay Parkway, Building P, 3rd Floor, Richmond, CA 94804-6403 USA
| | - Carolina K. Reid
- College of Environmental Design, University of California, 230 Bauer Wurster Hall #1820, Berkeley, CA 94720-1820 USA
| | - Amani M. Allen
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, 2121 Berkeley Way, Room 5302, CA 94720-7360 Berkeley, USA
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Environmental Exposures during Puberty: Window of Breast Cancer Risk and Epigenetic Damage. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17020493. [PMID: 31941024 PMCID: PMC7013753 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17020493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2019] [Revised: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
During puberty, a woman’s breasts are vulnerable to environmental damage (“window of vulnerability”). Early exposure to environmental carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, and unhealthy foods (refined sugar, processed fats, food additives) are hypothesized to promote molecular damage that increases breast cancer risk. However, prospective human studies are difficult to perform and effective interventions to prevent these early exposures are lacking. It is difficult to prevent environmental exposures during puberty. Specifically, young women are repeatedly exposed to media messaging that promotes unhealthy foods. Young women living in disadvantaged neighborhoods experience additional challenges including a lack of access to healthy food and exposure to contaminated air, water, and soil. The purpose of this review is to gather information on potential exposures during puberty. In future directions, this information will be used to help elementary/middle-school girls to identify and quantitate environmental exposures and develop cost-effective strategies to reduce exposures.
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Casper M, Kramer MR, Peacock JM, Vaughan AS. Population Health, Place, and Space: Spatial Perspectives in Chronic Disease Research and Practice. Prev Chronic Dis 2019; 16:E123. [PMID: 31489834 PMCID: PMC6745927 DOI: 10.5888/pcd16.190237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Michele Casper
- Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd, NE, MS S-107-1, Atlanta, Georgia 30330.
| | - Michael R Kramer
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - James M Peacock
- Cardiovascular Health Unit, Minnesota Department of Health, St. Paul, Minnesota
| | - Adam S Vaughan
- Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
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