Scientific Reports (Dec 2021)

Association between ambient air pollution and perceived stress in pregnant women

  • Dirga Kumar Lamichhane,
  • Dal-Young Jung,
  • Yee-Jin Shin,
  • Kyung-Sook Lee,
  • So-Yeon Lee,
  • Kangmo Ahn,
  • Kyung Won Kim,
  • Youn Ho Shin,
  • Dong In Suh,
  • Soo-Jong Hong,
  • Hwan-Cheol Kim

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-02845-4
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 1
pp. 1 – 11

Abstract

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Abstract Air pollution may influence prenatal maternal stress, but research evidence is scarce. Using data from a prospective cohort study conducted on pregnant women (n = 2153), we explored the association between air pollution and perceived stress, which was assessed using the 14-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), among pregnant women. Average exposures to particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of < 2.5 µm (PM2.5) or < 10 µm (PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and ozone (O3) for each trimester and the entire pregnancy were estimated at maternal residential addresses using land-use regression models. Linear regression models were applied to estimate associations between PSS scores and exposures to each air pollutant. After adjustment for potential confounders, interquartile-range (IQR) increases in whole pregnancy exposures to PM2.5, PM10, and O3 in the third trimester were associated with 0.37 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.01, 0.74), 0.54 (95% CI 0.11, 0.97), and 0.30 (95% CI 0.07, 0.54) point increases in prenatal PSS scores, respectively. Furthermore, these associations were more evident in women with child-bearing age and a lower level of education. Also, the association between PSS scores and PM10 was stronger in the spring. Our findings support the relationship between air pollution and prenatal maternal stress.