Journal article
Role of Neighborhood Vulnerability and Opportunity in the Association Between Prenatal Air Pollution and Autism-Related Traits in the ECHO Cohort
Environmental research, Forthcoming
01 Oct 2026
PMID: 42822634
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Abstract
Limited studies have explored the modifying role of neighborhood factors in the association between prenatal air pollution exposure and child neurodevelopment. We investigated whether the relationship between prenatal ambient air pollution and autism-related traits differed by neighborhood-level opportunity and vulnerability. This study drew data from 8,598 mother-child pairs from 35 sites participating in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Cohort. Ambient air pollutants, including fine particulate matter (PM
), nitrogen dioxide (NO
), and ozone (O
), were estimated at residential addresses during pregnancy. The Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) and Child Opportunity Index (COI) at the census tract level were linked to residential addresses at birth. The associations of pregnancy average and trimester-specific air pollution with autism-related traits, as measured by the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), stratified by SVI and COI quintiles were evaluated using generalized estimating equation models with a p-value <0.10 for the interaction term as suggestive evidence of signficance. There was evidence of interaction between prenatal exposure to O
with SRS by SVI (interaction p=0.07) and by COI (interaction p=0.01). Prenatal exposure to O
during pregnancy was associated with higher SRS score in the lowest SVI (β=0.05, 95% CI: -0.005, 0.10) and highest COI (β=0.04, 95% CI:0.00, 0.08). Differential associations of trimester-specific O
and PM
by SVI and COI were also observed (interaction p<0.10), although stratified associations within each SVI and COI category were not statistically significant. Our findings suggest that neighborhood level social factors may modify the associaitons between prenatal air pollution and autism-related traits and warrant further consideration of neighborhood factors in environmental epidemiological studies.
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Details
- Title
- Role of Neighborhood Vulnerability and Opportunity in the Association Between Prenatal Air Pollution and Autism-Related Traits in the ECHO Cohort
- Creators
- Ashley Y Song - Johns Hopkins UniversityYuyan Wang - New York UniversityAisha S Dickerson - Johns Hopkins UniversityJoseph M Braun - Brown UniversityHeather H Burris - Children's Hospital of PhiladelphiaLisa A Croen - Kaiser PermanenteAnne L Dunlop - Emory UniversityChloe Friedman - University of Colorado AnschutzStephen R Hooper - University of North Carolina at Chapel HillAlison E Hipwell - University of PittsburghLeslie D Leve - University of OregonKristen Lyall - Drexel UniversityCatherine J Karr - University of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolItai Kloog - Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiDonghai Liang - Emory UniversityChristine T Loftus - University of WashingtonMariel E McCann - Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiCindy T McEvoy - Oregon Health & Science UniversityThomas G O'ConnorJiwon Oh - University of California, DavisMichael O'Shea - University of North Carolina at Chapel HillHudson P Santos, Jr - University of MiamiRebecca J Schmidt - University of California, DavisAnnemarie Stroustrup - Hofstra UniversityJennifer K Straughen - Michigan Department of Health and Human ServicesAdam Szpiro - University of WashingtonRosalind Wright - Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiAkhgar Ghassabian - New York UniversityHeather Volk - Johns Hopkins UniversityECHO Cohort Consortium
- Publication Details
- Environmental research, Forthcoming
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Epidemiology and Biostatistics
- Other Identifier
- 991022237301804721