Traffic congestion may be linked to lower birthweights, study finds
Copious data underline the adverse health effects of vehicle-related air pollution, but there is limited research on how bottleneck traffic, in particular-;rather than overall traffic volume-;can lead to negative health outcomes.
Now, a new study led by a Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) researcher has found that traffic congestion may be linked to lower birthweights.
Published in the journal Science Advances, the study found consistent associations between traffic delays and a nine-gram reduction in birthweight among infants born to parents who reside in areas with heavy traffic, such as highways or freeways. More than 11 million people live within 150 meters of highways, and the study results showed that up to 1.3 million pregnant people, representing 27 percent of US births, may be exposed to high levels of traffic congestion annually.
For years, we’ve had detailed models to predict air pollution, but these models largely omit traffic congestion – because it could not be measured at a large scale. If there are 10,000 vehicles on a road doing stop-and-go traffic, the air pollution concentrations, and likely composition, is very different compared to 10,000 vehicles at free-flow speeds. Our results show that there are likely health impacts specific to congestion, which are not included in most environmental risk assessments or cost-benefit analyses-;and we think that those should start to be included in the conversation.”
Dr. Mary Willis, study lead and corresponding author, assistant professor of epidemiology at BUSPH
Traffic delays have risen steadily across the country since 1982, and the researchers chose to examine potential links to low birthweight because it can lead to immediate and long-term consequences, such as difficulty breathing, cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment, and premature mortality.
This study is the first to examine the impact of congestion on birth outcomes, in part due to challenges measuring traffic delays in large geographic areas. Willis and colleagues utilized almost 580,000 birth certificates in Texas and measured congestion levels through data from connected vehicles and devices that reflect actual driving volumes and speed. After controlling for background air pollution levels, transportation noise, and other environmental co-exposures, the results also indicated that mothers who lived closer to highways and freeways experienced slightly larger impacts from traffic jams, with 260,000 pregnancies occurring in the highest-congestion areas.
Source : www.news-medical.net
19 June 2023