Grant Number:
Principal Investigator:
Fleisch, Abby
Institution:
Maine Medical Center
Most Recent Award Year:
2015
Lifestage of Participants:
Exposure:
Prenatal; Infant (0-1 year); Youth (1-18 years); Adulthood (18+ years, specifically to 19 years of age); Adulthood (mother)
Assessment:
Infant (0-1 year, specifically at birth); Youth (1-18 years, specifically at 3 and 7 years of age); Adulthood (18+ years, specifically to 19 years of age)
Exposures:
Air Pollutants:
Traffic pollutants; Solid fuels
Health Outcomes:
Birth Outcomes:
Birthweight; Fetal growth
Metabolic Outcomes:
Obesity/body weight; Hyperglycemia
Biological Sample:
Serum
Environmental Sample:
Indoor air sample
Other Participant Data:
Growth and weight trajectories in early childhood; Serum leptin and adiponectin levels
Abstract:
Childhood obesity is a global epidemic with costly comorbidities. In the US, the rate of obesity has tripled over the past 40 years. Diet, physical activity, and genetics do not explain all of the variability in weight, and moreover can be difficut to modify. Identifying environmental triggers and feasible public health interventions is therefore a policy imperative. Prior data from this team has suggested an association of prenatal exposure to air pollution with maternal hyperglycemia and reduced fetal growth. Paradoxically we have also demonstrated an association between greater prenatal traffic-related pollution and excess infant weight gain after birth, leading to higher risk for obesity in infancy. With the guidance of my mentoring team, during this 5 year K23 career development award, the Candidate will leverage data from two prospective longitudinal cohorts of mothers and children (Project Viva, n=2,128 and the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study (NHBCS), n=1,500) to extend this prior work through three inter-related projects. The Principal Investigator will: (1) examine prenatal exposure to ambient air pollution as a risk factor for rapid weight trajectories throughout childhood and central fat accrual in mid-childhood. (2) consider the relationship of prenatal air pollution exposure with obesity-associated hormonal biomarkers, including leptin, adiponectin, and insulin resistance in childhood. (3) characterize exposures and habits related to indoor sources of air pollution in rural New England and estimate the extent to which indoor wood burning during pregnancy is associated with maternal hyperglycemia, fetal growth, and offspring weight gain in early childhood. The training plan proposed will build upon my clinical training in pediatric endocrinology and basic knowledge of biostatistics and epidemiology to provide formal training in (1) environmental exposure assessment, (2) statistical techniques necessary to analyze complex exposure-response relationships, and (3) the practical skills necessary to lead a research team. The Candidate will leverage the wealth of resources available at Boston Children's Hospital, the Department of Population Medicine (Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care), the Harvard School of Public Health, and the Dartmouth Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center to conduct the proposed analyses. These studies and training will lay the necessary scientific framework to launch her career as an independent physician researcher studying the impact of environmental toxicants on children's health, with a focus on obesity and insulin resistance.
ExpandCollapse Abstract
Related NIEHS-Funded Study Populations
The New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study
Principal Investigator:
Karagas, Margaret
| Study Population Page Study Population c108
Institution:
Dartmouth College
Location:
New Hampshire; Vermont
Number of Participants::
2,000+ Mother-infant pairs
Brief Description::
This is a prospective pregnancy cohort study of mothers who use private wells for household water in New Hampshire designed to evaluate maternal/child health impacts of arsenic and other contaminants. The study has recruited over 2,500 mother-infant pairs (over 4,000 individuals) since 2009.
Project Viva
Principal Investigator:
Oken, Emily; Hivert, Marie-France
| Study Population Page Study Population c204
Institution:
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute
Location:
Eastern Massachusetts
Number of Participants::
2,128 mother-child pairs
Brief Description::
This is a longitudinal pre-birth cohort study originally designed to examine the effects of maternal diet, air pollution, and other environmental factors, on child growth and development. In 1999-2002, 2,128 mother-child pairs in eastern Massachusetts were enrolled in the study. Mother and child follow-up is ongoing.