Air Pollution, Neighborhood Deprivation, and Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Study to Explore Early Development

摘要

Background: Neighborhood deprivation may modify associations between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and exposure to early life traffic-related air pollution or particulate matter <2.5 pm (PM2.5). Methods: We used data from the Study to Explore Early Development to evaluate these associations, which included 674 cases of children with confirmed ASD and 855 population controls. We assessed associations of ASD with roadway proximity, as a marker of traffic-related air pollution, and with PM2.5 during the entire pregnancy and first year of life. Pregnancy and first year of life PM2.5 averages were dichotomized at 12.0 μg/m3. To characterize neighborhood deprivation, a weighted index was created, based on eight census tract-level socioeconomic status-related parameters. The continuous deprivation index was categorized into tertiles, representing low, moderate, and high deprivation. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios and corresponding 95% confidence intervals for the associations between roadway proximity, PM2.5, and ASD. Modification by neighborhood deprivation was assessed on both the additive and multiplicative scales. Results: There was modification by neighborhood deprivation for the association between PM2.S during the first year of life and ASD on the multiplicative scale. The association between PM2.5 exposure and ASD was strongest in regions of high deprivation (OR=2.42, 95% CI: 1.20, 4.86), compared to the moderate (OR=1.21, 95% CI: 0.67, 2.17) or low (OR=1.46, 95% CI: 0.80, 2.65) deprivation groups. Conclusions: These results provide evidence for an association between first year of life PM2.5 exposure and childhood ASD, and suggest children living in more deprived neighborhoods may be particularly vulnerable to pollution effects. This abstract does not necessarily represent the official positions of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Environmental Protection Agency.