Prenatal exposure to insecticides and weight trajectories among South African children in the VHEMBE birth cohort
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Date
Authors
Kim, Joanne
Yang, Seungmi
Moodie, Erica E.M.
Obida, Muvhulawa
Bornman, Maria S. (Riana)
Eskenazi, Brenda
Chevrier, Jonathan
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Lippincott Williams and Wilkins
Abstract
BACKGROUND : Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) or pyrethroid insecticides are sprayed inside dwellings for malaria vector control, resulting in high exposure to millions of people, including pregnant women. These chemicals disrupt endocrine function and may affect child growth. To our knowledge, few studies have investigated the potential impact of prenatal exposure to DDT or pyrethroids on growth trajectories.
METHODS : We investigated associations between gestational insecticide exposure and child growth trajectories in the Venda Health Examination of Mothers, Babies and their Environment, a birth cohort of 751 children born between 2012 and 2013 in South Africa. Based on child weight measured at follow-up and abstracted from medical records, we modeled weight trajectories from birth to 5 years using SuperImposition, Translation and Rotation, which estimated two child-specific parameters: size (average weight) and tempo (age at peak weight velocity). We estimated associations between peripartum maternal concentrations of serum DDT, dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene, or urinary pyrethroid metabolites and SuperImposition, Translation and Rotation parameters using marginal structural models.
RESULTS : We observed that a 10-fold increase in maternal concentrations of the pyrethroid metabolite trans-3-(2,2,-dicholorvinyl)-2,2-dimethyl-cyclopropane carboxylic acid was associated with a 21g (95% confidence interval = −40, −1.6) smaller size among boys but found no association among girls (Pinteraction = 0.07). Estimates suggested that pyrethroids may be associated with earlier tempo but were imprecise. We observed no association with serum DDT or dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene.
CONCLUSIONS : Inverse associations between pyrethroids and weight trajectory parameters among boys are consistent with hypothesized disruption of androgen pathways and with our previous research in this population, and support the endocrine-disrupting potential of pyrethroids in humans.
Description
DATA AVAILABLITY STATEMENT : Access to data and computing may be discussed by contacting the corresponding author.
Keywords
Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), Child growth trajectory, Indoor residual spraying (IRS), Insecticides, Prenatal exposure, South Africa, SDG-03: Good health and well-being
Sustainable Development Goals
Citation
Kim, J., Yang, S., Moodie, E.E.M. et al. 2022, 'Prenatal exposure to insecticides and weight trajectories among South African children in the VHEMBE birth cohort', Epidemiology, vol. 33, no. 4, pp. 505-513, doi : 10.1097/EDE.0000000000001487.