PLoS ONE (Jan 2021)

Association between early gestation passive smoke exposure and neonatal size among self-reported non-smoking women by race/ethnicity: A cohort study.

  • Melissa M Amyx,
  • Rajeshwari Sundaram,
  • Germaine M Buck Louis,
  • Nicole M Gerlanc,
  • Alaina M Bever,
  • Kurunthachalam Kannan,
  • Morgan Robinson,
  • Melissa M Smarr,
  • Dian He,
  • Fasil Tekola-Ayele,
  • Cuilin Zhang,
  • Katherine L Grantz

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256676
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 11
p. e0256676

Abstract

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Understanding implications of passive smoke exposure during pregnancy is an important public health issue under the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease paradigm. In a prospective cohort of low-risk non-smoking pregnant women (NICHD Fetal Growth Studies-Singletons, 2009-2013, N = 2055), the association between first trimester passive smoke exposure and neonatal size was assessed by race/ethnicity. Plasma biomarker concentrations (cotinine, nicotine) assessed passive smoke exposure. Neonatal anthropometric measures included weight, 8 non-skeletal, and 2 skeletal measures. Linear regression evaluated associations between continuous biomarker concentrations and neonatal anthropometric measures by race/ethnicity. Cotinine concentrations were low and the percent above limit of quantification varied by maternal race/ethnicity (10% Whites; 14% Asians; 15% Hispanics; 49% Blacks). The association between cotinine concentration and infant weight differed by race/ethnicity (Pinteraction = 0.034); compared to women of the same race/ethnicity, per 1 log-unit increase in cotinine, weight increased 48g (95%CI -44, 139) in White and 51g (95%CI -81, 183) in Hispanic women, but decreased -90g (95%CI -490, 309) in Asian and -93g (95%CI -151, -35) in Black women. Consistent racial/ethnic differences and patterns were found for associations between biomarker concentrations and multiple non-skeletal measures for White and Black women (Pinteraction<0.1). Among Black women, an inverse association between cotinine concentration and head circumference was observed (-0.20g; 95%CI -0.38, -0.02). Associations between plasma cotinine concentration and neonatal size differed by maternal race/ethnicity, with increasing concentrations associated with decreasing infant size among Black women, who had the greatest biomarker concentrations. Public health campaigns should advocate for reducing pregnancy exposure, particularly for vulnerable populations.