Area-level socioeconomic deprivation, nitrogen dioxide exposure, and term birth weight in New York City

Abstract

Numerous studies have linked air pollution with adverse birth outcomes, but relatively few have examined differential associations across the socioeconomic gradient. To evaluate interaction effects of gestational nitrogen dioxide (NO ₂) and area-level socioeconomic deprivation on fetal growth, we used: 1) highly spatially-resolved air pollution data from the New York City Community Air Survey (NYCCAS); and 2) spatially-stratified principle component analysis of census variables previously associated with birth outcomes to define area-level deprivation. New York City (NYC) hospital birth records for years 2008–2010 were restricted to full-term, singleton births to non-smoking mothers (n = 243,853). We used generalized additive mixed models to examine the potentially non-linear interaction of nitrogen dioxide (NO ₂) and deprivation categories on birth weight (and estimated linear associations, for comparison), adjusting for individual-level socio-demographic characteristics and sensitivity testing adjustment for co-pollutant exposures. Estimated NO ₂ exposures were highest, and most varying, among mothers residing in the most-affluent census tracts, and lowest among mothers in residing in mid-range deprivation tracts. In non-linear models, we found an inverse association between NO ₂ and birth weight in the least-deprived and most-deprived areas (p-values < 0.001 and 0.05, respectively) but no association in the mid-range of deprivation (p=0.8). Likewise, in linear models, a 10 ppb increase in NO ₂ was associated with a decrease in birth weight among mothers in the least-deprived and most-deprived areas of −16.2 g (95% CI: −21.9 to −10.5) and −11.0 g (95% CI: −22.8 to 0.9), respectively, and a non-significant change in the mid-range areas [β = 0.5 g (95% CI: −7.7 to 8.7)]. Linear slopes in the most- and least-deprived quartiles differed from the mid-range (reference group) (p-values < 0.001 and 0.09, respectively). The complex patterning in air pollution exposure and deprivation in NYC, however, precludes simple interpretation of interactive effects on birth weight, and highlights the importance of considering differential distributions of air pollution concentrations, and potential differences in susceptibility, across deprivation levels.