The negative effects of environmental exposure during pregnancy on fetal growth and children development have been confirmed. It has been found that environmental exposures during pregnancy have a great influence on the growth and development of fetus, birth outcomes and children's psychology, behavior and neural development. In this review, according to different types of environmental exposures, we focused on the key issues of the fetus or children induced by four aspects of environment exposure, including environmental chemicals, unhealthy life styles and behaviors, stress and other risk factors, and discussed the adverse effects of environmental factors on the growth and development of infants, children's psychology, behavior, social and cognitive, such as birth defects, autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, emotional problems, learning disorder and intelligence development and so on. We also suggested that the researches on mechanism of the negative effects of environmental exposure on children's health should be strengthened in the future.
Child ; Child Development ; Environmental Exposure ; Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects ; epidemiology ; Risk Factors

Pregnancy ; Female ; Humans ; Pre-Eclampsia/epidemiology* ; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects ; Case-Control Studies ; China/epidemiology* ; Fluorocarbons/toxicity*

Children born to mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are more likely to exhibit congenital malformations, high birth weight, and obesity and have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes in later life. Children who are exposed to maternal diabetes in utero may be 'programmed' for later development of obesity at a critical period of development. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to examine the associations among adiposity and systolic blood pressure in children and abnormal maternal glucose levels during pregnancy. A total of 856 mother-child pairs were included in the present retrospective study. Eligible pregnant women underwent a standard 75 g oral glucose tolerance test between 24 and 28 weeks' gestation. Anthropometric characteristics of their children were measured at 6 years of age, including body mass index, the sum of subscapular and tricep skinfold thickness, and systolic blood pressure. The result suggests that children exposed to GDM have higher adiposity; prevention of childhood obesity needs to begin early in life for these children.
Adiposity ; physiology ; Aging ; Child ; China ; epidemiology ; Diabetes, Gestational ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Obesity ; etiology ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVETo examine the effect of parents' occupational and life exposure during six months before pregnancy on executive function of preschool children.

METHODSPregnant women involved in the study came from the Ma'anshan Birth Cohort Study,a part of the China-Anhui Birth Cohort Study. Between October 2008 and October 2010, pregnant women who accepted pregnancy care in four municipal medical and health institutions in Ma'anshan city were recruited as study objects. A total of 5,084 pregnant women and 4,669 singleton live births entered in this cohort. Between April 2014 and April 2015, a total of 3,803 pre-school children were followed up. Finally, except 32 preschool children did not have EF evaluation result, there were 3,771 children included in this study. By using self-designed " Maternal health handbook", we researched parents' general demographic characteristics, and life and occupational exposure during six months before pregnancy. To research preschool children's executive function, we used the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Preschool Version (BRIEF-P). Univariate and multivariate statistical method was used to analyze the association of parents' life and occupational exposure during six months before pregnancy and preschool children's EF.

RESULTS3,771 preschool children's detected rate of inhibitory self-control index (ISCI), flexibility index (FI), emergent metacognition index (EMI) and global executive composite (GEC) dysplasia were 4.8% (182), 2.3% (88), 16.5% (623) and 8.6% (324) respectively. During six months before pregnancy, children whose parents were lived in a noise environment (OR=1.86, 95% CI: 1.36-2.54), whose maternal were exposed to pesticides were the risk of ISCI dysplasia(OR=3.60, 95% CI: 1.45-8.95). During six months before pregnancy, children whose maternal were exposed to pesticides (OR=6.72, 95% CI: 2.50-18.07) and whose father were exposed to occupational lead (OR=2.10, 95% CI: 1.25-3.54) were the risk of FI dysplasia. During six months before pregnancy, children whose parents were lived in a noise environment (OR=1.42, 95%CI: 1.18-1.71) and whose father were exposed to occupational lead (OR=1.30, 95%CI: 1.02-1.65) were the risk of EMI dysplasia. During six months before pregnancy, children whose parents were lived in a noise environment (OR=1.58, 95% CI: 1.24-2.01) and whose maternal were exposed to pesticides (OR=2.39, 95% CI: 1.02-5.58) were the risk of GEC dysplasia.

CONCLUSIONThe development of executive function is worse among preschool children whose parents live in noise environment, mother exposed to pesticides, and father exposed to occupational lead during six months before pregnancy.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Cohort Studies ; Environmental Exposure ; adverse effects ; Executive Function ; Family Characteristics ; Female ; Humans ; Lead ; adverse effects ; Male ; Occupational Exposure ; adverse effects ; Parents ; Pesticides ; adverse effects ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects ; epidemiology ; psychology

Objective: To study the relations between famine exposure and the risk of chronic diseases as diabetes mellitus, obesity, hypertension, coronary heart disease and stroke in the population of Harbin. Methods: Our data was collected from the baseline survey-the China Kadoorie Biobank project (CKB) in Harbin. Retrospective cohort study design was used. Related risks on chronic diseases including diabetes mellitus, obesity, hypertension, coronary heart disease and stroke, were compared among the famine exposed or non-exposed people, respectively by logistic analysis method. Results: After adjusted for factors as age, sex, physical activity, smoking, alcohol intake, diet, family history of diseases, it appeared that the factor 'famine exposure' had increased the risks of diseases as obesity (OR=1.204, 95%CI: 1.104-1.313, P<0.01), hypertension (OR=1.315, 95%CI: 1.210-1.429, P<0.01) and coronary heart disease (OR=1.495, 95%CI: 1.369-1.632, P<0.01). The lower the age of population being exposed to famine, the greater the risk of the development of all kinds of chronic diseases. Conclusions: Famine exposure appeared a risk factor for obesity, hypertension, and coronary heart disease. It is of great significance to ensure the life-long nutrition of the people, especially in the early and adolescent stages, to prevent obesity, hypertension, and coronary heart disease in their later lives.
Adolescent ; China/epidemiology* ; Chronic Disease/epidemiology* ; Coronary Disease/epidemiology* ; Diabetes Mellitus/epidemiology* ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension/epidemiology* ; Obesity/epidemiology* ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects/epidemiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Starvation/epidemiology*

BACKGROUND: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is one of the most common congenital malformations in humans. Inconsistent results emerged in the existed studies on associations between air pollution and congenital heart disease. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of gestational exposure to air pollutants with congenital heart disease, and to explore the critical exposure windows for congenital heart disease. METHODS: The nested case-control study collected birth records and the following health data in Tianjin Women and Children's Health Center, China. All of the cases of congenital heart disease from 2013 to 2015 were selected matching five healthy controls for each case. Inverse distance weighting was used to estimate individual exposure based on daily air pollution data. Furthermore, the conditional logistic regression with distributed lag non-linear model was performed to identify the association between gestational exposure to air pollution and congenital heart disease. RESULTS: A total of 8,748 mother-infant pairs were entered into the analysis, of which 1,458 infants suffered from congenital heart disease. For each 10 µg/m³ increase of gestational exposure to PM_2.5, the ORs (95% confidence interval, 95%CI) ranged from 1.008 (1.001-1.016) to 1.013 (1.001-1.024) during the 1^st-2^nd gestation weeks. Similar weak but increased risks of congenital heart disease were associated with O₃ exposure during the 1^st week and SO₂ exposure during 6^th-7^th weeks in the first trimester, while no significant findings for other air pollutants. CONCLUSIONS This study highlighted that gestational exposure to PM_2.5, O₃, and SO₂ had lag effects on congenital heart disease. Our results support potential benefits for pregnancy women to the mitigation of air pollution exposure in the early stage, especially when a critical exposure time window of air pollutants may precede heart development.
Infant ; Pregnancy ; Child ; Humans ; Female ; Air Pollutants/analysis* ; Case-Control Studies ; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects/epidemiology* ; Heart Defects, Congenital/etiology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Particulate Matter/adverse effects* ; Maternal Exposure/adverse effects*

BACKGROUND: Studies reported adverse behavioral development including internalizing and externalizing problems in association with prenatal exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates; however, findings were not sufficient due to using different assessment tools and child ages among studies. This study aimed to examine associations between maternal serum levels of BPA and phthalate metabolites and behavioral problems at preschool age. METHODS: The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used to assess behavioral problems at 5 years of age. BPA and phthalate metabolite levels in the first trimester maternal serum was determined by LC-MS/MS for 458 children. Variables used for adjustment were parental ages, maternal cotinine levels, family income during pregnancy, child sex, birth order, and age at SDQ completed. RESULTS: The median concentrations of BPA, MnBP, MiBP, MEHP, and MECPP, primary and secondary metabolites of phthalates, were 0.062, 26.0, 7.0, 1.40, and 0.20 ng/ml, respectively. MECPP level was associated with increase conduct problem risk (OR = 2.78, 95% CI 1.36-5.68) overall and the association remained after child sex stratification, and odds ratios were increased with wider confidence interval (OR = 2.85, 95% CI 1.07-7.57 for boys, OR = 4.04, 95% CI 1.31-12.5 for girls, respectively). BPA, ∑DBP (MnBP + MiBP), and ∑DEHP (MEHP+MECPP) levels were not associated with any of the child behavioral problems. CONCLUSIONS Our analyses found no significant association between BPA or summation of phthalate metabolite levels and any of the behavioral problems at 5 years of age but suggested possible association between MECPP levels and increased risk of conduct problems.
Adult ; Age Factors ; Benzhydryl Compounds ; blood ; Child, Preschool ; Environmental Exposure ; analysis ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Phenols ; blood ; Phthalic Acids ; blood ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects ; epidemiology ; Problem Behavior ; Smoking ; epidemiology ; Socioeconomic Factors

OBJECTIVETo investigate the association between autism and prenatal environmental risk factors.

METHODSA case-control study was conducted among 193 children with autism from the special educational schools and 733 typical development controls matched by age and gender by using questionnaire in Tianjin from 2007 to 2012. Statistical analysis included quick unbiased efficient statistical tree (QUEST) and logistic regression in SPSS 20.0.

RESULTSThere were four predictors by QUEST and the logistic regression analysis, maternal air conditioner use during pregnancy (OR=0.316, 95% CI: 0.215-0.463) was the single first-level node (χ²=50.994, P=0.000); newborn complications (OR=4.277, 95% CI: 2.314-7.908) and paternal consumption of freshwater fish (OR=0.383, 95% CI: 0.256-0.573) were second-layer predictors (χ²=45.248, P=0.000; χ²=24.212, P=0.000); and maternal depression (OR=4.822, 95% CI: 3.047-7.631) was the single third-level predictor (χ²=23.835, P=0.000). The prediction accuracy of the tree was 89.2%.

CONCLUSIONThe air conditioner use during pregnancy and paternal freshwater fish diet might be beneficial for the prevention of autism, while newborn complications and maternal depression might be the risk factors.

Adolescent ; Air Conditioning ; Air Pollution ; adverse effects ; Autistic Disorder ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Case-Control Studies ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Delivery, Obstetric ; adverse effects ; methods ; Depression ; complications ; Diet ; Environmental Exposure ; Female ; Humans ; Income ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Maternal Exposure ; Obstetric Labor Complications ; epidemiology ; Paternal Exposure ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects ; epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: The majority of studies linking exposure to metals with certain health outcomes focus on known toxic metals. Alternatively, this study assesses the extent to which exposure to a wider range of metals during gestation is associated with childhood morbidity. METHODS: We analyzed the concentrations of 25 metals found in urine samples of 111 pregnant women of Arab-Bedouin origin collected prior to birth. In addition, we collected medical records on their offspring for six years following birth, including every interaction with HMOs, local hospitals, and pharmacies. RESULTS: The main types of morbidities diagnosed and treated during this period were preterm births, malformations, asthma-like morbidity, cardiovascular and behavioral problems, and obesity. Multivariable analysis showed that offspring born before term were more likely to have been exposed to elevated maternal concentrations of zinc, thallium, aluminum, manganese, and uranium, all with adjusted relative risk above 1.40 for an increase by each quintile. Likewise, children with asthma had been exposed to higher levels of magnesium, strontium, and barium at gestation, while behavioral outcomes were associated with elevated biometals, i.e., sodium, magnesium, calcium, selenium, and zinc, as well as higher levels of lithium, cobalt, nickel, strontium, cadmium, vanadium, arsenic, and molybdenum. A heatmap of adjusted relative risk estimates indicates the considerable implications that exposure to metals may have for preterm birth and developmental outcomes. CONCLUSIONS The current study shows that perinatal exposure to metals is adversely associated with pediatric morbidity. Further such analyses on additional samples are warranted.
Adult ; Arabs/statistics & numerical data* ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Environmental Pollutants/urine* ; Female ; Humans ; Israel ; Male ; Maternal Exposure/adverse effects* ; Metals/urine* ; Morbidity ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects/epidemiology* ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVEThis study aimed to explore the association between periconceptional fish consumption by parents and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intelligence deficiency (ID).

METHODSA case-control study was conducted through a questionnaire with 108 ASD cases, 79 ID cases, and 108 controls. The ASD and ID cases were students from special educational schools in Tianjin from 2012 to 2014. The age- and sex-matched controls were from a high school, three primary schools, and a kindergarten in Tianjin. Multivariate logistic regression was performed.

RESULTSPaternal habit of eating hairtail before fertilization, maternal preference for fruits during pregnancy, and maternal habit of eating grass carp during pregnancy were preventive factors for ASD. Paternal habit of drinking alcohol before fertilization was a risk factor for ID, whereas maternal preference for fruits during pregnancy and maternal habit of eating crucian carp during pregnancy were protective factors for ID.

CONCLUSIONParental fish consumption is beneficial for the prevention of ASD and ID. Meanwhile, the protective effects of fish consumption on ASD and ID differ. More attention should be paid to the combined effect of other food when eating fish.

Adolescent ; Animals ; Autism Spectrum Disorder ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Case-Control Studies ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Diet ; adverse effects ; Environmental Exposure ; Female ; Fishes ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intellectual Disability ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Male ; Maternal Exposure ; Paternal Exposure ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Risk Factors ; Species Specificity