Objective: Historically, alcohol taxation has been one of the best strategies to reduce drinking and related harms in the general population, and prior analyses support that increased alcohol taxes are associated with fewer harms related to drinking during pregnancy. Here, we examine how alcohol taxes are related to preterm and low birthweight births. Method: Birth certificate data for 101,191,080 births conceived between January 1993 and March 2019 come from the U.S. National Vital Statistics System. Outcomes were preterm birth (<37 weeks) and low birthweight (<2,500 g). Time-varying state-level alcohol tax policies were beverage-specific volume-based, sales, and ad valorem taxes. Final regression models adjusted for individual and state covariates, state trends, and clustered standard errors by state. Results: Only sales taxes were consistently related to birth outcomes. Having a beer sales tax was significantly related to lower odds of preterm birth (odds ratio [OR] = 0.94, 95% CI [0.90, 0.98]) and lower odds of low birthweight (OR = 0.98, 95% CI [0.96, 0.99]). Similarly, having a wine sales tax was significantly related to lower odds of preterm birth (OR = 0.94, 95% CI [0.90, 0.98]) and lower odds of low birthweight (OR = 0.97, 95% CI [0.95, 0.99]). Finally, having a spirits sales tax was also significantly related to lower odds of preterm birth (OR = 0.95, 95% CI [0.91, 0.98]) and lower odds of low birthweight (OR = 0.97, 95% CI [0.95, 0.99]). Conclusions: State-level beverage-specific sales taxes are associated with fewer adverse birth outcomes. This study provides additional evidence that increased alcohol taxes may be relevant for reducing adverse effects related to pregnant people's alcohol consumption. Public health significance statement: Policies related to alcohol use during pregnancy in the United States are related to more harms than benefits. Broader alcohol policies that affect the general public—and not just pregnant people—might be better for reducing harms related to drinking during pregnancy. Increased alcohol taxes are linked to better birth outcomes and are one example of broader alcohol policies that may reduce harms from alcohol use during pregnancy.

Malaria exposure has been hypothesized to alter immune responses to childhood vaccines, but evidence is inconsistent. We evaluated whether early-life malaria exposure and perennial malaria chemoprevention (PMC) modify antibody responses to the 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-10) among infants in a high malaria transmission setting in eastern Uganda.MethodsThis study was nested within the MIC-DroP trial (NCT04978272) whereby 202 infants were selected for inclusion. Serotype-specific IgG concentrations were measured using an in-house multiplex seroassay from samples obtained at 8 and 24 weeks of age. Immunogenicity was quantified as the log10 fold-change in IgG concentration between the 8 and 24-week timepoints, and seroconversion as ≥0.35 μg/mL at week 24 (i.e., seropositive). Generalized estimating equation models were used to assess associations of PCV-10 immunogenicity and seroconversion with malaria exposure, malaria chemoprevention and birth outcomes.ResultsAmong the 195 of 202 infants who completed the three-dose PCV-10 series, neither infant PMC nor malaria exposure from study enrollment to 14 weeks were associated with PCV-10 immunogenicity or seroconversion. In contrast, low birthweight (<2500g) was associated with lower immunogenicity (82% lower [95% confidence interval (CI): 43-94%] antibody fold-change, p=0.003) and reduced odds of seroconversion (OR=0.19 [95% CI: 0.06-0.57], p=0.003); preterm birth (<37 weeks) showed similar associations (79% lower [95% CI: 24-94%] antibody fold-change, p=0.018; OR=0.181 [95% CI: 0.05-0.65], p=0.009).ConclusionIn this malaria-endemic setting, early-life malaria exposure and chemoprevention did not measurably alter PCV-10 antibody responses. However, low birthweight and prematurity were associated with reduced vaccine immunogenicity.

Researchers examine whether extending SSC beyond the first hour can improve early weight changes, breastfeeding and other maternal and newborn outcomes in normal-birthweight infants.

Pregnant women are told to avoid sleeping on their back. A new study used real sensors, not memory, to test the leading theory behind that advice, and the theory didn't hold up.

A study of nearly 4,900 pregnant women in China has found an association between prenatal exposure to rare earth elements and an increased risk of low birthweight.

Wildfire smoke and extreme heat – increasingly the new norm – each have their own harmful effects on pregnant people and babies, including preterm birth and low birthweight. Now University of Maryland School of Public Health (UMD SPH) researchers will lead a $2.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to examine how the combined experience of these hazards affects maternal health in the United States. We aim to identify which pollutant combinations and what time periods during pregnancy matter most and to map out how risk looks across different areas." Dr. Jennifer Stowell, study's principal investigator, environmental epidemiologist and assistant professor in SPH's Department of Global, Environmental and Occupational Health "What we learn from this research will provide crucial information for clinical guidance, improved services in under-resourced perinatal care regions, such as rural areas, and better early-warning systems for high-risk groups like low income and minority populations." Drawing data from 6.5 million births over two decades, Stowell and her colleagues will measure exposure to extreme heat, wildfire smoke particles (PM2.5) and other pollutants against the incidence of serious pregnancy complications such as hypertension and gestational diabetes. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) affect...

Experts warn of a global surge in PFAS production driven by AI and data centers.

Objective: Historically, alcohol taxation has been one of the best strategies to reduce drinking and related harms in the general population, and prior analyses support that increased alcohol taxes are associated with fewer harms related to drinking during pregnancy. Here, we examine how alcohol taxes are related to preterm and low birthweight births. Method: Birth certificate data for 101,191,080 births conceived between January 1993 and March 2019 come from the U.S. National Vital Statistics System. Outcomes were preterm birth (<37 weeks) and low birthweight (<2,500 g). Time-varying state-level alcohol tax policies were beverage-specific volume-based, sales, and ad valorem taxes. Final regression models adjusted for individual and state covariates, state trends, and clustered standard errors by state. Results: Only sales taxes were consistently related to birth outcomes. Having a beer sales tax was significantly related to lower odds of preterm birth (odds ratio [OR] = 0.94, 95% CI [0.90, 0.98]) and lower odds of low birthweight (OR = 0.98, 95% CI [0.96, 0.99]). Similarly, having a wine sales tax was significantly related to lower odds of preterm birth (OR = 0.94, 95% CI [0.90, 0.98]) and lower odds of low birthweight (OR = 0.97, 95% CI [0.95, 0.99]). Finally, having a spirits sales tax was also significantly related to lower odds of preterm birth (OR = 0.95, 95% CI [0.91, 0.98]) and lower odds of low birthweight (OR = 0.97, 95% CI [0.95, 0.99]). Conclusions: State-level beverage-specific sales taxes are associated with fewer adverse birth outcomes. This study provides additional evidence that increased alcohol taxes may be relevant for reducing adverse effects related to pregnant people's alcohol consumption. Public health significance statement: Policies related to alcohol use during pregnancy in the United States are related to more harms than benefits. Broader alcohol policies that affect the general public—and not just pregnant people—might be better for reducing harms related to drinking during pregnancy. Increased alcohol taxes are linked to better birth outcomes and are one example of broader alcohol policies that may reduce harms from alcohol use during pregnancy.

A framework was developed to characterize and correct spatiotemporal measurement errors in exposure The negative association between PM2.5 exposure and birthweight was consistent across CMIP6 sim...

Floods, droughts and extreme heat can disrupt nutrition and healthcare in early life, with consequences that may last for years.

Byg et al., examine whether polygenic scores for birthweight on adult cardiometabolic risk depend on the phenotypic birthweight. The effects of birthweight genes on insulin resistance and BMI changed according to birthweight phenotype, suggesting an increased cardiometabolic risk when there is a birthweight phenotype genotype mismatch.

We examine differences in intelligence test scores of black and white 5-year-olds. The Infant Health and Development Program data set includes 483 low birthweight premature children who were assessed with the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence. These children had been followed from …

Rates of preterm birth and low birthweight remain high in the USA, in part due to perinatal poverty and societal underinvestment during a crucial wind…