Racial and ethnic disparities in preterm birth: a mediation analysis incorporating mixtures of polybrominated diphenyl ethers.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Racial and ethnic disparities persist in preterm birth (PTB) and gestational age (GA) at delivery in the United States. It remains unclear whether exposure to environmental chemicals contributes to these disparities.

Objectives

We applied recent methodologies incorporating environmental mixtures as mediators in causal mediation analysis to examine whether racial and ethnic disparities in GA at delivery and PTB may be partially explained by exposures to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), a class of chemicals used as flame retardants in the United States.

Methods

Data from a multiracial/ethnic US cohort of 2008 individuals with low-risk singleton pregnancies were utilized, with plasma PBDE concentrations measured during early pregnancy. We performed medi

SUBMITTER: Wang Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10800537 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature