IJERPH, Vol. 16, Pages 5116: Connecting Air Pollution Exposure to Socioeconomic Status: A Cross-Sectional Study on Environmental Injustice among Pregnant Women in Scania, Sweden

IJERPH, Vol. 16, Pages 5116: Connecting Air Pollution Exposure to Socioeconomic Status: A Cross-Sectional Study on Environmental Injustice among Pregnant Women in Scania, Sweden International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph16245116 Authors: Erin Flanagan Emilie Stroh Anna Oudin Ebba Malmqvist Environmental injustice, characterized by lower socioeconomic status (SES) persons being subjected to higher air pollution concentrations, was explored among pregnant women in Scania, Sweden. Understanding if the general reduction of air pollution recorded is enjoyed by all SES groups could illuminate existing inequalities and inform policy development. “Maternal Air Pollution in Southern Sweden”, an epidemiological database, contains data for 48,777 pregnancies in Scanian hospital catchment areas and includes births from 1999–2009. SES predictors considered included education level, household disposable income, and birth country. A Gaussian dispersion model was used to model women’s average NOX and PM2.5 exposure at home residence over the pregnancy period. Total concentrations were dichotomized into emission levels below/above respective Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean Air objectives. The data were analyzed using binary logistic regression. A sensitivity analysis facilitated the investigation of associations’ variation over time. Lower-SES wome...
Source: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research