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Children’s Environmental Health Issues
Published in Herman Koren, Best Practices for Environmental Health, 2017
Maternal undernutrition during pregnancy increases the risk of poor birth outcomes, including premature birth, low birth weight, smaller head size, and lower brain weight. Premature babies are at greater risk for a series of health problems and learning problems when they reach school age. During the first 3 years of life the brain develops very rapidly. If there is too little energy provided, or a lack of protein and nutrients, there are deficits in cognitive, social, and emotional development. This affects 5–10% of American children under the age of 3. Hungry children in school show 7–12 times as many symptoms of conduct disorders such as fighting, having problems with teachers, not following the rules, stealing, etc. as children who are properly nourished.
Human Health Studies
Published in Barry L. Johnson, Impact of Hazardous Waste on Human Health, 2020
In another study, the incidence of low birth weight among white, live-born infants from 1940 through 1978 was studied in various sections of the Love Canal area (Vianna and Polan, 1984). Infants who weighed 2,500 grams or less at birth were considered low birth weight. The investigators gave particular attention to the swale areas of Love Canal because they served as drainage areas and, therefore, may have had concentrated hazardous substances in the soil.
Development of a Locally Produced, Balanced Protein–Energy Food-Based Supplement and its Acceptance by Undernourished Pregnant Women in Northern Bangladesh
Published in Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, 2018
Briony Stevens, Kerrianne Watt, Julie Brimblecombe, Alan Clough, Jenni Judd
Low-birth-weight babies are at higher risk of infant morbidity and mortality. In low-income countries, lowered birth weight is mainly caused by intrauterine growth restriction, which in turn is directly associated with maternal undernutrition.1 Inadequate dietary energy intake during pregnancy is a major problem in many low-income countries.2 Bangladesh has among the highest rates of maternal and child undernutrition globally. According to the 2012 Demographic Health Survey, in rural Bangladesh extreme poverty (defined as earning less than $1.25 per day by the World Bank; see Ravallion et al.3 for further information on how the $1.25-a-day international poverty line was derived) is 3 times higher than in urban areas, women are less likely to access antenatal and postnatal services, and children suffer from higher rates of chronic malnutrition.4 Further, low birth weight affects 1 in 5 children5 and 1 in 3 women are undernourished (defined as a body mass index <18.5) during pregnancy.6 A fifth of childhood stunting may be attributable to poor fetal growth as shown by being born small for gestational age.1 For pregnant women, the World Health Organization recommends an additional energy intake of 285 to 475 calories per day during the second and third trimesters.7 The reasons why pregnant women are often unable to meet this additional energy requirement are multifaceted.
Adverse neonatal outcomes in relation to ambient temperatures at birth: A nationwide survey in Taiwan
Published in Archives of Environmental & Occupational Health, 2018
Yi-Hao Weng, Chun-Yuh Yang, Ya-Wen Chiu
Adverse neonatal outcomes were measured as the following 4 outcomes: stillbirth, preterm birth, neonatal death, and low birth weight. Stillbirth was defined as death of a fetus at 20 or more weeks of gestation. Neonatal death was defined as death within 30 days of birth. Preterm birth referred to a birth before 37 complete weeks of gestation. Low birth weight was defined as a birth weight < 2,500 g.
A time series analysis of ambient air pollution and low birth weight in Xuzhou, China
Published in International Journal of Environmental Health Research, 2022
Jingwen Hao, Lei Peng, Peng Cheng, Sha Li, Chao Zhang, Weinan Fu, Lianjie Dou, Fan Yang, Jiahu Hao
The World Health Organization defines low birth weight (LBW) as less than 2,500 grams at birth. Low birth weight is a critical secondary factor in neonatal deaths, 98% of which occur in developing countries(Bhutta et al. 2011). In both developed and developing countries, low birth weight is closely linked to perinatal morbidity and an increased risk of long-term disability(Culhane 2007).