학술논문
Environmental exposures in early-life and general health in childhood
Document Type
article
Author
Ines Amine; Alicia Guillien; Claire Philippat; Augusto Anguita-Ruiz; Maribel Casas; Montserrat de Castro; Audrius Dedele; Judith Garcia-Aymerich; Berit Granum; Regina Grazuleviciene; Barbara Heude; Line Småstuen Haug; Jordi Julvez; Mónica López-Vicente; Léa Maitre; Rosemary McEachan; Mark Nieuwenhuijsen; Nikos Stratakis; Marina Vafeiadi; John Wright; Tiffany Yang; Wen Lun Yuan; Xavier Basagaña; Rémy Slama; Martine Vrijheid; Valérie Siroux
Source
Environmental Health, Vol 22, Iss 1, Pp 1-14 (2023)
Subject
Language
English
ISSN
1476-069X
Abstract
Abstract Background Early-life environmental exposures are suspected to be involved in the development of chronic diseases later in life. Most studies conducted so far considered single or few exposures and single-health parameter. Our study aimed to identify a childhood general health score and assess its association with a wide range of pre- and post-natal environmental exposures. Methods The analysis is based on 870 children (6–12 years) from six European birth cohorts participating in the Human Early-Life Exposome project. A total of 53 prenatal and 105 childhood environmental factors were considered, including lifestyle, social, urban and chemical exposures. We built a general health score by averaging three sub-scores (cardiometabolic, respiratory/allergy and mental) built from 15 health parameters. By construct, a child with a low score has a low general health status. Penalized multivariable regression through Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) was fitted in order to identify exposures associated with the general health score. Findings The results of LASSO show that a lower general health score was associated with maternal passive and active smoking during pregnancy and postnatal exposure to methylparaben, copper, indoor air pollutants, high intake of caffeinated drinks and few contacts with friends and family. Higher child’s general health score was associated with prenatal exposure to a bluespace near residency and postnatal exposures to pets, cobalt, high intakes of vegetables and more physical activity. Against our hypotheses, postnatal exposure to organochlorine compounds and perfluorooctanoate were associated with a higher child’s general health score. Conclusion By using a general health score summarizing the child cardiometabolic, respiratory/allergy and mental health, this study reinforced previously suspected environmental factors associated with various child health parameters (e.g. tobacco, air pollutants) and identified new factors (e.g. pets, bluespace) warranting further investigations.