Author: Jodi Snare

NIH Program Study Finds Rising Levels of Chemical Exposures in Pregnant Women

Posted on by Jodi Snare

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

A new National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study found that pregnant women had been exposed to rising levels of certain chemicals, especially replacement chemicals: chemicals meant to replace other chemicals that have been banned or phased out. Many of the women had been exposed to neonicotinoids, a widely used type of pesticide.

The researchers used a new method for measuring multiple chemicals in a small amount of urine. More than 80% of chemicals examined were present in at least one of the women in the study, and about a third were found in a majority of the participants.

The study included 171 pregnant women enrolled in the NIH Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program. This is the largest exposure study to measure more than 100 chemicals simultaneously in a diverse population of pregnant women in the U.S.

“This study highlights the importance of including pregnant women in biomonitoring studies and informing policies and practices to decrease harmful chemical exposure,” said Jessie P. Buckley, PhD, of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Dr. Buckley and Tracey J. Woodruff, PhD, of the University of California San Francisco led the research team whose findings are now published in Environment Science & Technology.

The team determined detection frequencies and concentrations for each chemical, and assessed how demographic characteristics and the year of sample collection related to levels of the chemicals. They observed higher exposure levels among single and non-white women, those with lower educational attainment, and those exposed to tobacco.

Moving forward the team hopes to use larger sample sizes to better assess the relationship between prenatal chemical exposures and adverse birth outcomes.

Buckley, J. et al. Exposure to Contemporary and Emerging Chemicals in Commerce among Pregnant Women in the United States: The Environmental influences on Child Health Outcome (ECHO) Program. Environment Science & Technology. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c08942

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About ECHO: ECHO is a nationwide research program supported by the NIH. Launched in 2016, ECHO aims to enhance the health of children for generations to come. Visit echochildren.org.

About the NIH: NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. Visit www.nih.gov.

Media Contacts

For information or to request an interview, contact Rebekah Yeager,  rebekah.yeager@nih.gov.

If you are not a member of the media, but have a general inquiry, please contact  NIHKidsandEnvironment@od.nih.gov.

Connect With Us

echo connectorCheck out the recent issues of our bi-monthly newsletter, the ECHO Connector, for program news and the latest research findings.

To receive the ECHO Connector through email, subscribe here.

Follow @ECHOChildHealth for the latest ECHO Program updates on Twitter.

Diverse, Multi-cohort ECHO Program Study Examines Factors Influencing Chemical Exposures in Pregnant Women

Posted on by Jodi Snare

In a collaborative research effort involving participants from nine ECHO cohorts, Jessie P. Buckley, PhD, of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Tracey J. Woodruff, PhD, of the University of California San Francisco led a research team that examined chemical exposures in pregnant women. This is the largest exposure study to measure more than 100 contemporary and emerging chemicals simultaneously in a diverse population of pregnant women in the U.S. The researchers used a new method for measuring multiple chemicals in a small amount of urine.

The research team found that more than 80% of the chemicals were present in at least one of the women in the study, and about a third of the chemicals were found in a majority of the participants. The study found that the women had been exposed to rising levels of certain chemicals, especially replacement chemicals: chemicals meant to replace other chemicals that have been banned or phased out. Many of the women had also been exposed to neonicitinoids, a widely used type of pesticide.

Their research, titled “Exposure to contemporary and emerging chemicals in commerce among pregnant women in the United States: The Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program” is published in Environment Science & Technology.

This multi-cohort ECHO Program study included 171 pregnant women from California, Georgia, Illinois, New Hampshire, New York, and Puerto Rico. Approximately 34% of participants were white, 40% were Hispanic, and 20% were Black. To collect data, the research team used a new method that can identify up to 103 chemicals or chemical metabolites —mainly pesticides, plastics, and BPA/phthalate replacements—simultaneously from a single urine sample. The team determined detection frequencies and concentrations for each chemical in urine samples from women in each of nine ECHO cohorts and assessed how demographic characteristics and the year of sample collection related to measured levels of the chemicals.

The research team identified demographic and sociodemographic trends in chemical exposures, observing higher exposure levels among non-white women, those with lower educational attainment, those who were single, and those exposed to tobacco. Of note, Hispanic women had especially high levels of parabens (preservatives) as well as phthalates and bisphenols (from plastics) compared to National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data.

“Currently, there is a lack of data on multiple chemical exposures, particularly those that have been identified as potentially hazardous during pregnancy and fetal development,” said Buckley. “This study highlights the importance of including pregnant women in biomonitoring studies and creating policies and practices to decrease overall chemical exposure.”

In the future, the team plans to look at a larger sample of pregnant women. “We aim to increase the number of participants from about 200 to 6,500,” said Woodruff. “We would like to assess whether higher prenatal chemical exposures are related to adverse birth outcomes. This data will be foundational for evaluating contributions to additional adverse pregnancy and child health outcomes.”

Read the research summary.

NIH Program Study Finds Association Between Prenatal Obesity and Child Autism-Related Behaviors

Posted on by Jodi Snare

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

According to a new National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study, there may be an association between certain conditions during a mother’s pregnancy, such as obesity and gestational diabetes, and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)-related behaviors in childhood.

The study included nearly 7,000 participants from 40 NIH Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) cohorts. Eight of the cohorts included participants with increased likelihood of ASD. Researchers collected data on maternal health conditions during pregnancy, child autism-related social behaviors, and participant demographics.

The study suggested that maternal obesity and gestational diabetes were associated with indicators of autism-related social behaviors. Investigators did not see increases in these behaviors for children of mothers with preeclampsia or gestational hypertension. There was no strong evidence to suggest that ASD-related traits were related to preterm birth or low birth weight, which are common complications of these pregnancy conditions.

Learn more about this research through the affiliated flash talk.

“Investigating how exposures, health conditions, and risk factors relate across the full range of the outcome distribution may help us learn more about the nature of these relationships and their impact on the population,” said Kristen Lyall, ScD of Drexel University.

Dr. Lyall and Christine Ladd-Acosta, PhD of Johns Hopkins University, are both ECHO Program investigators and led this collaborative effort. Their research is published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

“Our results highlight the need for better prenatal care and more monitoring of women experiencing conditions like obesity during pregnancy,” said Dr. Ladd-Acosta.

Lyall, K. et al. Cardiometabolic Pregnancy Complications in Association with Autism-Related Traits as Measured by the Social Responsiveness Scale in ECHO. American Journal of Epidemiology. DOI 10.1093/aje/kwac061 (2022)

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About ECHO: ECHO is a nationwide research program supported by the NIH. Launched in 2016, ECHO aims to enhance the health of children for generations to come. ECHO investigators study the effects of a broad range of early environmental influences on child health and development. For more information, visit echochildren.org.

About the NIH: NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information, visit www.nih.gov.

Media Contacts

For information or to request an interview, contact Rebekah Yeager,  rebekah.yeager@nih.gov.

If you are not a member of the media, but have a general inquiry, please contact  NIHKidsandEnvironment@od.nih.gov.

Connect With Us

echo connectorCheck out the recent issues of our bi-monthly newsletter, the ECHO Connector, for program news and the latest research findings.

To receive the ECHO Connector through email, subscribe here.

Follow @ECHOChildHealth for the latest ECHO Program updates on Twitter.

ECHO Investigators Find Association Between Prenatal Obesity and Child Autism-related Behaviors

Posted on by Jodi Snare

Collaborative ECHO research from Kristen Lyall, ScD of Drexel University and Christine Ladd-Acosta, PhD of Johns Hopkins University found an association between childhood autism-related social behaviors and maternal obesity and gestational diabetes during pregnancy.

The researchers examined the link between child social development and a variety of maternal prenatal conditions—including obesity, gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, and preeclampsia. Their research, titled “Cardiometabolic pregnancy complications in association with autism-related traits as measured by the Social Responsiveness Scale in ECHO,” is published in the American Journal of Epidemiology and aims to help better understand how a variety of risk factors during pregnancy relate to complex developmental outcomes, such as autism-related traits.

“Just like intelligence scores or height can be plotted on a curve representing everyone’s values ranging from low to high, social functioning and behaviors can also be measured and scored along a similar distribution,” said Dr. Lyall. “Investigating how exposures, health conditions, and risk factors relate across the full range of the outcome distribution may help us learn more about the nature of these relationships and their impact on the population.”

The study involved nearly 7,000 participants from 40 ECHO cohorts, including eight cohorts that had participants with increased likelihood of autism. The researchers collected data on maternal health conditions during pregnancy, maternal age, child autism-related social behaviors, and participant demographics.

Maternal obesity and gestational diabetes are common prenatal conditions, so understanding the impacts of these conditions on children development is an important public health issue. “This work shows that these conditions are not only linked with diagnoses of autism and other developmental conditions, but also subtler changes in related behavioral scores,” said Dr. Ladd-Acosta. “These results highlight the need for better prenatal care and more monitoring of women experiencing conditions like obesity during pregnancy.”

More work is needed in the future to reveal the specific mechanisms linking maternal prenatal health to childhood autism-related social development.

Read the research summary.

ECHO Researchers Showcased Child Health Research at Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting

Posted on by Jodi Snare

Updated May 10, 2022

ECHO researchers Michael O’Shea, MD, MPH of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Elisabeth McGowan, MD of the Woman & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island showcased ECHO research at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) Annual Meeting in Denver, CO. The 5-day PAS Meeting featured presentations, posters, and exhibitions from physicians and researchers sharing the latest advancements in pediatric health. In addition to the in-person events, PAS registrants had access to on-demand, pre-recorded presentations and a bank of e-posters.

ECHO-related Sessions:

Michael O’Shea, MD, MPH

ECHO Program Cohorts of Individuals Born Preterm: Five Year Progress Report
Sunday, April 24, 2022, 10-11:30 AM MT (12-1:30 PM ET)

Dr. O’Shea led a session highlighting the research findings coming out of three ECHO cohorts that have enrolled preterm infants—including the Developmental Impact of NICU Exposure (DINE), Neonatal Neurobehavior and Outcomes in Very Preterm Infants (NOVI), and Extremely Low Gestational Age Newborn (ELGAN) cohorts. The session reviewed some of the key findings that have come out of the wealth of child health data these cohorts have collected over the past 5 years. Dr. O’Shea was joined by Dr. McGowan along with ECHO investigators Judy Aschner, MD, Todd Everson, PhD, Rebecca Fry, PhD, Carmen Marsit, PhD, and Annemarie Stroustrup, MD, MPH.

 

 

Elisabeth McGowan, MD

Evaluating Prenatal and Perinatal Factors Associated with Neurobehavior in Preterm and Full-term Infants
Sunday, April 24, 2022, 9-9:15 AM MT (11-11:15 AM ET)

Dr. McGowan presented on the results of collaborative ECHO research investigating the link between pre- and perinatal factors and infant neurobehavioral outcomes (e.g., reflexes, behavior, signs of stress).

Healthcare Utilization during COVID-19 Pandemic among Children Born Preterm
Sunday, April 24, 2022, 3:30-6 PM MT (5:30-8 PM ET)

Dr. McGowan also presented a poster on collaborative, ECHO-wide research analyzing how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the healthcare resources utilized by preterm infants.

ECHO Researchers Identify Effects of Mixed Metal Exposures on Fetal Growth

Posted on by Jodi Snare

In a collaborative research effort led by Caitlin Howe, PhD and Margaret Karagas, PhD of Dartmouth College, researchers observed an inverse association between the metalloid antimony and birth weight for gestational age, suggesting that this understudied metalloid may harm fetal growth. Their study, titled “Prenatal metal(loid) mixtures and birth weight for gestational age: a pooled analysis of three cohorts participating in the ECHO Program” is published in Environment International.

The study included approximately 1,000 mother-newborn pairs in three geographically and demographically diverse ECHO cohorts:

  • The Maternal And Developmental Risks from Environmental and Social Stressors (MADRES) study, a predominantly lower-income Hispanic cohort in Los Angeles, California
  • The New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study (NHBCS), a primarily non-Hispanic white cohort in northern New England
  • The Puerto Rico Testsite for Exploring Contamination Threats (PROTECT) study, a Hispanic cohort in northern Puerto Rico.

The team pooled data from these three cohorts, measured multiple metals in the mothers’ urine samples collected during pregnancy and evaluated the associations with birth weight for gestational age using a multipollutant analysis approach. In addition to the findings for antimony, the team reported that the effects of other metals (cobalt, mercury, nickel, tin) on birth weight for gestational age differed by cohort and/or infant sex. The mixture of metals together did not impact birth weight for gestational age. Cadmium and molybdenum individually were not associated with differences in birth weight for gestational age.

“Previous research on this topic has mainly focused on one metal at a time, but individuals are often exposed to multiple metals simultaneously, which may interact in complex ways to impact health,” said Howe.

This research highlights the need to identify major sources of antimony, which may differ depending on the population, such that interventions can be developed to reduce exposure to this toxic metalloid. In the future, the research team would also like to expand their analysis to additional ECHO cohorts and participants, investigate other biomarkers of metal and metalloid exposures, and identify windows in pregnancy when the developing fetus may be most susceptible to these exposures.

Read the research summary.

NIH Program Study Links COVID-19 Pandemic Hardships to Child Life Satisfaction

Posted on by Jodi Snare

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Courtney K. Blackwell, PhD

Families who faced more hardships related to the COVID-19 pandemic had higher levels of both caregiver and child stress and lower child life satisfaction, according to a new National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study. However, being more socially connected and engaged with family promoted life satisfaction for children of all ages.

The study included more than 1,600 families from 30 U.S. states. For younger children, family engagement decreased the negative effect of COVID-19 pandemic-related stress on life satisfaction. For adolescents, pre-existing anxiety and/or depression increased their risk for lower life satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Courtney K. Blackwell, Ph.D. of Northwestern University, an investigator in the NIH Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program, led this collaborative research effort. The article, titled “Youth well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic,” is published in Pediatrics.

The researchers used survey data from 14 ECHO cohorts across the U.S. to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic-related family hardships on caregiver and child stress, and understand how stress, social connection, family engagement, and pre-existing mental health conditions affect children’s life satisfaction.

“The findings demonstrate ways families can cope with adverse events and promote their children’s well-being through family engagement and fostering peer social connectedness,” Blackwell said. “They also show that stress and well-being are not direct opposites, suggesting the need for future interventions that target both decreasing children’s stress and improving their well-being.”

Blackwell, C. et al. Youth well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pediatrics. DOI 10.1542/peds.2021-054754 (2022)

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About ECHO: ECHO is a nationwide research program supported by the NIH. Launched in 2016, ECHO aims to enhance the health of children for generations to come. ECHO investigators study the effects of a broad range of early environmental influences on child health and development. The program consists of two major components, including 69 existing and ongoing observational study cohorts and a pediatric clinical trials network. For more information, visit echochildren.org.

About the NIH: NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

Media Contacts

For information or to request an interview, contact Rebekah Yeager,  rebekah.yeager@nih.gov.

If you are not a member of the media, but have a general inquiry, please contact  NIHKidsandEnvironment@od.nih.gov.

Connect With Us

echo connectorCheck out the recent issues of our bi-monthly newsletter, the ECHO Connector, for program news and the latest research findings.

To receive the ECHO Connector through email, subscribe here.

Follow @ECHOChildHealth for the latest ECHO Program updates on Twitter.

ECHO Researchers Investigate Youth Well-being During Covid-19

Posted on by Jodi Snare

Courtney K. Blackwell, PhD
Courtney K. Blackwell, PhD

Between May 2020 and May 2021, ECHO conducted collaborative research led by Person Reported Outcomes (PRO) Core investigator Courtney K. Blackwell, PhD of Northwestern University to investigate COVID-19 pandemic-related family hardships associated with child stress and well-being. This research, titled “Youth well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic,” is published in Pediatrics.

The results of this study demonstrated that families who faced more hardships related to the COVID-19 pandemic had higher levels of both caregiver and child stress and lower child life satisfaction. However, being more socially connected to peers and engaging in family activities led to higher life satisfaction overall. The researchers found that for younger children, family engagement decreased the negative effect of COVID-19 pandemic-related stress on their life satisfaction. For adolescents, pre-existing anxiety and/or depression increased their risk for lower life satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, families have faced hardships and interruptions to their daily lives. These disruptions are likely to have a lasting effect on the well-being of children, but the extent of this effect is still unknown. Additionally, little is known about how families can protect their children from COVID-19 pandemic-related stress and promote their positive mental health.

To conduct this research, Dr. Blackwell and her team surveyed more than 1,600 families from 30 US states about their COVID-19 pandemic experience. This study included both parent-reported surveys on children aged 2-12 years and self-reported surveys on adolescents aged 11-17 years. The researchers used survey data from 14 ECHO cohorts across the US to evaluate how COVID-19 pandemic-related family hardships have affected caregiver and child stress, and how stress, social connection, family engagement, and pre-existing mental health conditions have affected children’s life satisfaction.

The study findings demonstrate some of the varied ways that families can cope with adverse events and promote their children’s well-being through family engagement and fostering peer social connectedness. “This study also showed that stress and well-being are not direct opposites,” said Dr. Blackwell, “suggesting the need for future interventions that target both decreasing children’s stress and improving their well-being rather than one or the other.”

The next steps for this research include focusing in on specific COVID-19-related family hardships in order to identify the hardships that contribute the most to child stress and develop targeted strategies for improving child well-being.

Read the research summary.

March is National Nutrition Month

Posted on by Jodi Snare

March is National Nutrition Month. With information from a diverse population of more than 50,000 children followed from birth through adolescence, ECHO researchers are well positioned to investigate how nutrition influences child health across our five outcome areas, including obesity.

This month’s Connector features ECHO research that explores the extent to which treating pregnant women, who cannot quit smoking, with vitamin C can protect lung function for their children. In addition, this issue of the Connector includes ECHO research on the relationship between growth in early childhood and the onset of puberty, as well as facilitators and barriers to clinical trial recruitment in rural settings.

As a reminder, the ECHO Program is back on Twitter. We encourage you to follow the ECHO Twitter account (@ECHOChildHealth) to stay up-to-date on ECHO news and events, including information on recent publications and research.

ECHO Studies Examine Parent-Reported Child Diet Assessments

Posted on by Jodi Snare

Collaborative ECHO research led by Traci Bekelman, PhD, MPH and Dana Dabelea, MD, PhD of the University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, analyzed parents’ experiences with two parent-reported diet assessments: the Remote Food Photography Method (RFPM)—which involves parents taking pictures of their child’s meals using a smartphone app—and the Automated Self-Administered 24-hour Dietary Assessment Tool (ASA24)—which involves parents filling out daily recalls of their child’s meals.

One of their studies, titled “A Qualitative Analysis of the Remote Food Photography Method and the Automated Self-Administered 24-hour Dietary Assessment Tool for Assessing Children’s Food Intake Reported by Parent Proxy,” is published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

This research compared parents’ experience with the RFPM and ASA24. While parents found the RFPM easier to use, they also reported difficulties with missing or forgetting meal photos. Parents appreciated the consolidated workload of the ASA24, but reported that the time commitment was difficult to manage and the food database left out some foods from diverse cuisines.

During the study, researchers collected child diet data from the parents of 40 children aged seven or eight from an ECHO cohort in Colorado and an IDeA States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network site in Louisiana. Parents tracked their child’s diet for three days using either the RFPM or the ASA24 and then for an additional three days using the other method. Afterwards, parents were given surveys on their experience with these tools, and 32 parents participated in focus group discussions.

The insights of parents participating in this study revealed some of the key strengths and weaknesses associated with these tools that may impact participant burden and the accuracy of parent-reported child diet data. “This study has practical implications because researchers have multiple options when selecting a dietary assessment tool,” said Dr. Bekelman, “and must therefore weigh the relative strengths and weaknesses of each method.”

An additional study from this research team compared the accuracy and effectiveness of the RFPM and ASA24 for child dietary assessment by parent-proxy. Caregivers who participated in the study were generally happy with both methods, but each method had drawbacks. The team’s research, titled “A comparison of the Remote Food Photography Method and the Automated Self-Administered 24-hour Dietary Assessment Tool for measuring full day dietary intake among school-aged children,” is published in the British Journal of Nutrition.

For this study, the research team recruited participants from the same population in the aforementioned study and asked them to try two ways of measuring what and how much their child ate using the RFPM and ASA24. Participants completed a survey providing information on satisfaction, ease of use, and burdens for each tool.

The team found that most caregivers were happy with both methods. However, some of the main drawbacks that caregivers reported with the ASA24 included challenges using the website and difficulty estimating how much their child ate. On the other hand, the caregivers’ main difficulty with the RFPM was underreporting due to missing photos. These findings will help researchers improve these methods to increase the accuracy of measuring what children eat and reduce participant burden.

Read the research summaries.