Joan A Casey1, Dana E Goin2, Kara E Rudolph3, Brian S Schwartz4, Dione Mercer5, Holly Elser2, Ellen A Eisen6, Rachel Morello-Frosch7. 1. Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, USA; Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. Electronic address: jac2250@columbia.edu. 2. Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, USA. 3. Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA. 4. Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Epidemiology and Health Services Research, Geisinger, Danville, PA, USA; Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. 5. Department of Epidemiology and Health Services Research, Geisinger, Danville, PA, USA. 6. Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, USA. 7. Division of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, USA; College of Natural Resources Department of Environmental Science, Policy, & Management, University of California, Berkeley, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Studies have reported associations between unconventional natural gas development (UNGD) and adverse birth outcomes. None have evaluated potential mediating mechanisms. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate associations between (1) UNGD and antenatal anxiety and depression and (2) antenatal anxiety and depression and preterm birth (<37 weeks gestation) and reduced term birth weight, (3) stochastic direct and indirect effects of UNGD on preterm birth and term birth weight operating through antenatal anxiety and depression, and (4) effect modification by family-level socioeconomic status. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included mothers without prevalent anxiety or depression at time of conception, who delivered at Geisinger in Pennsylvania between January 2009-January 2013. We assembled phase-specific UNGD activity data from public sources. Mothers were categorized as exposed (quartile 4) or unexposed (quartiles 1-3) based on average daily inverse distance-squared UNGD activity metric between conception and the week prior to anxiety or depression (cases) or the pregnancy-average daily metric (non-cases). We estimated associations with a doubly robust estimator (targeted minimum loss-based estimation) and adjusted for potential individual- and community-level confounding variables. RESULTS: Analyses included 8,371 births to 7,715 mothers, 12.2% of whom had antenatal anxiety or depression. We found 4.3 additional cases of antenatal anxiety or depression per 100 women (95% CI: 1.5, 7.0) under the scenario where all mothers lived in the highest quartile of UNGD activity versus quartiles 1-3. The risk difference appeared larger among mothers receiving Medical Assistance (indicator of low family income) compared to those who did not, 5.6 (95% CI: 0.5, 10.6) versus 2.9 (95% CI: -0.7, 6.5) additional cases of antenatal anxiety or depression per 100 women. We found no relationship between antenatal anxiety or depression and adverse birth outcomes and no mediation effect either overall or when stratifying by Medical Assistance. CONCLUSION: We observed a relationship between UNGD activity and antenatal anxiety and depression, which did not mediate the overall association between UNGD activity and adverse birth outcomes.
BACKGROUND: Studies have reported associations between unconventional natural gas development (UNGD) and adverse birth outcomes. None have evaluated potential mediating mechanisms. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate associations between (1) UNGD and antenatal anxiety and depression and (2) antenatal anxiety and depression and preterm birth (<37 weeks gestation) and reduced term birth weight, (3) stochastic direct and indirect effects of UNGD on preterm birth and term birth weight operating through antenatal anxiety and depression, and (4) effect modification by family-level socioeconomic status. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included mothers without prevalent anxiety or depression at time of conception, who delivered at Geisinger in Pennsylvania between January 2009-January 2013. We assembled phase-specific UNGD activity data from public sources. Mothers were categorized as exposed (quartile 4) or unexposed (quartiles 1-3) based on average daily inverse distance-squared UNGD activity metric between conception and the week prior to anxiety or depression (cases) or the pregnancy-average daily metric (non-cases). We estimated associations with a doubly robust estimator (targeted minimum loss-based estimation) and adjusted for potential individual- and community-level confounding variables. RESULTS: Analyses included 8,371 births to 7,715 mothers, 12.2% of whom had antenatal anxiety or depression. We found 4.3 additional cases of antenatal anxiety or depression per 100 women (95% CI: 1.5, 7.0) under the scenario where all mothers lived in the highest quartile of UNGD activity versus quartiles 1-3. The risk difference appeared larger among mothers receiving Medical Assistance (indicator of low family income) compared to those who did not, 5.6 (95% CI: 0.5, 10.6) versus 2.9 (95% CI: -0.7, 6.5) additional cases of antenatal anxiety or depression per 100 women. We found no relationship between antenatal anxiety or depression and adverse birth outcomes and no mediation effect either overall or when stratifying by Medical Assistance. CONCLUSION: We observed a relationship between UNGD activity and antenatal anxiety and depression, which did not mediate the overall association between UNGD activity and adverse birth outcomes.
Authors: Jane A McElroy; Patrick L Remington; Amy Trentham-Dietz; Stephanie A Robert; Polly A Newcomb Journal: Epidemiology Date: 2003-07 Impact factor: 4.822
Authors: Xu Xiong; Emily W Harville; Donald R Mattison; Karen Elkind-Hirsch; Gabriella Pridjian; Pierre Buekens Journal: Am J Med Sci Date: 2008-08 Impact factor: 2.378
Authors: Michael S Kramer; John Lydon; Louise Séguin; Lise Goulet; Susan R Kahn; Helen McNamara; Jacques Genest; Clément Dassa; Moy Fong Chen; Shakti Sharma; Michael J Meaney; Steven Thomson; Stan Van Uum; Gideon Koren; Mourad Dahhou; Julie Lamoureux; Robert W Platt Journal: Am J Epidemiol Date: 2009-04-10 Impact factor: 4.897
Authors: Jan P Vandenbroucke; Erik von Elm; Douglas G Altman; Peter C Gøtzsche; Cynthia D Mulrow; Stuart J Pocock; Charles Poole; James J Schlesselman; Matthias Egger Journal: PLoS Med Date: 2007-10-16 Impact factor: 11.069
Authors: Irena Gorski-Steiner; Karen Bandeen-Roche; Heather E Volk; Sean O'Dell; Brian S Schwartz Journal: Environ Res Date: 2022-03-24 Impact factor: 8.431
Authors: David J X Gonzalez; Anthony Nardone; Andrew V Nguyen; Rachel Morello-Frosch; Joan A Casey Journal: J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol Date: 2022-04-13 Impact factor: 6.371
Authors: David J X Gonzalez; Allison R Sherris; Wei Yang; David K Stevenson; Amy M Padula; Michael Baiocchi; Marshall Burke; Mark R Cullen; Gary M Shaw Journal: Environ Epidemiol Date: 2020-06-05
Authors: Klaus-Michael Wollin; G Damm; H Foth; A Freyberger; T Gebel; A Mangerich; U Gundert-Remy; F Partosch; C Röhl; T Schupp; Jan G Hengstler Journal: Arch Toxicol Date: 2020-05-09 Impact factor: 5.153
Authors: Nicole C Deziel; Cassandra J Clark; Joan A Casey; Michelle L Bell; Desiree L Plata; James E Saiers Journal: Curr Environ Health Rep Date: 2022-05-06
Authors: Andreas M Neophytou; Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou; Dana E Goin; Kristin C Darwin; Joan A Casey Journal: Int J Epidemiol Date: 2021-03-03 Impact factor: 7.196
Authors: Jonathan J Buonocore; Joan A Casey; Rachel Croy; John D Spengler; Lisa McKenzie Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2020-01-13 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: Mary D Willis; Elaine L Hill; Andrew Boslett; Molly L Kile; Susan E Carozza; Perry Hystad Journal: Environ Health Perspect Date: 2021-07-21 Impact factor: 9.031