Publications by authors named "Lyndsey Darrow"
Many current gridded surface meteorological datasets are inadequate for quantifying near-surface spatiotemporal variability because they do not fully represent the impacts of land surface heterogeneity. Of note, explicit representation of the spatial structure and magnitude of local urban warming are usually lacking. Here we enhance the representation of spatial meteorological variability over urban areas in the conterminous United States (CONUS) by employing the High-Resolution Land Data Assimilation System (HRLDAS), which accounts for the fine-scale impacts of spatiotemporally varying land surfaces on weather.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Annual influenza epidemics lead to substantial public health burden, and pregnant people are vulnerable to severe outcomes. Influenza during pregnancy is hypothesized to increase risk of adverse birth outcomes, but population-based epidemiologic evidence remains limited and inconsistent.
Methods: We conducted a time-series analysis to estimate short-term associations between community-level seasonal influenza activity and daily counts of preterm births in Atlanta, United States from October 17 th , 2010 to July 10 th , 2017.
Article Synopsis
- Heat waves are becoming more common and intense, potentially impacting pregnancy outcomes such as preterm and early-term births.
- A nationwide study analyzed over 53 million births in the U.S. from 1993 to 2017 to assess the effect of heat waves on birth rates, focusing on specific temperature data and timing related to births.
- The results indicated that heat waves are linked to increased rates of both preterm and early-term births, especially when temperatures are extreme for four consecutive days, highlighting a concerning trend for maternal and infant health.
Background: Characterizing the spatial distribution of PM species concentrations is challenging due to the geographic sparsity of the stationary monitoring network. Recent advances have enabled valid estimation of PM species concentrations using satellite remote sensing data for use in epidemiologic studies.
Objective: In this study, we used satellite-based estimates of ambient PM species concentrations to estimate associations with birth weight and preterm birth in California.
Background: To describe temporal and sociodemographic patterns of antimicrobial exposure during the first year of life in a large US cohort.
Methods: Singleton infants born 1998-2014 enrolled in Kaiser Permanente Northern California integrated health system (n = 345,550) were followed longitudinally via comprehensive electronic health records, capturing all systemic antimicrobial inpatient administrations and outpatient dispensings. Antimicrobial exposure was summarized by maternal and infant characteristics, birth year, inpatient/outpatient status, age in months, and drug class.
Background: Growing evidence for the effect of maternal obesity on childhood asthma motivates investigation of mediating pathways.
Objective: To investigate if childhood body mass index (BMI), gestational weight gain (GWG) and preterm birth mediate the association of maternal obesity on childhood asthma risk.
Methods: We used electronic medical records from mother-child pairs enrolled in Kaiser Permanente Northern California integrated healthcare system.
Neonatal mortality and morbidity are often caused by preterm birth and lower birth weight. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and gestational hypertension (GH) are the most prevalent maternal medical complications during pregnancy. However, evidence on effects of air pollution on adverse birth outcomes and pregnancy complications is mixed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Seasonal patterns of conception may confound acute associations between birth outcomes and seasonally varying exposures. We aim to evaluate four epidemiologic designs (time-stratified case-crossover, time-series, pair-matched case-control, and time-to-event) commonly used to study acute associations between ambient temperature and preterm births.
Methods: We conducted simulations assuming no effect of temperature on preterm birth.
Understanding the role of time-varying pollution mixtures on human health is critical as people are simultaneously exposed to multiple pollutants during their lives. For vulnerable subpopulations who have well-defined exposure periods (e.g.
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- Maternal obesity before pregnancy may create an environment that raises the chances of children developing asthma later in life.
- A study tracked over 104,000 children from birth to age 8 using medical records to analyze the relationship between their mother's prepregnancy BMI and asthma diagnoses.
- Results indicated that higher prepregnancy BMI categories, especially obese 1 and obese 2/3, were linked to a slightly increased risk of asthma in children, suggesting that maintaining a healthy weight before pregnancy could be important for reducing asthma risk.
Article Synopsis
- - The study analyzed over 5 million births across California, Nevada, and Oregon to evaluate how different methods of measuring total gestational weight gain (GWG) relate to perinatal outcomes like cesarean delivery, small-for-gestational-age birth, and low birth weight (LBW).
- - Three approaches were compared: (1) the recommended GWG ranges for specific gestational weeks, (2) total weight gain categories adjusted for gestational age, and (3) weight-gain-for-gestational-age z scores from an external reference.
- - While the first two methods showed consistent results for cesarean delivery and small-for-gestational-age births, the z score method surprisingly indicated that higher GW
Background: It is unclear if state laws supporting breastfeeding are associated with exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) practice among low-income mothers participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). The main objectives of our study were to assess the relationship between such laws and EBF among WIC-participating mothers and to assess whether this association varied by employment status. We also assessed how mother's exposure to WIC breastfeeding consultation was associated with EBF.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Heatwaves are becoming more frequent and may acutely increase the risk of stillbirth, a rare and severe pregnancy outcome.
Objectives: Examine the association between multiple heatwave metrics and stillbirth in six U.S.
Article Synopsis
- Accelerated urbanization leads to more frequent and intense heatwaves (HW) and urban heat islands (UHIs), as demonstrated by a significant HW event in summer 2012, where temperatures in Chicago exceeded 40°C.
- A study used advanced numerical models like HRLDAS and WRF to simulate and evaluate the impacts of HW and UHI, finding that incorporating a multi-layer urban canopy model improved WRF's performance.
- The analysis revealed that rural areas saw larger temperature increases (∼4°C) compared to urban Chicago (∼2-3°C), and strong nighttime UHI effects were noted, suggesting high heat stress risk in both urban and rural areas during heat events.
Background: Ambient temperature observations from single monitoring stations (usually located at the major international airport serving a city) are routinely used to estimate heat exposures in epidemiologic studies. This method of exposure assessment does not account for potential spatial variability in ambient temperature. In environmental health research, there is increasing interest in utilizing spatially-resolved exposure estimates to minimize exposure measurement error.
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- Short-term relationships between extreme heat events and negative health effects are clear, but varying definitions of exposure in studies hinder a deeper understanding of which heat characteristics matter for specific health issues.
- Logic regression is introduced as a method to analyze health outcome data, helping to determine which definitions of extreme heat exposure are most relevant.
- The application of logic regression in Atlanta revealed significant heat exposure characteristics linked to various health problems, indicating that this method could enhance heat warning systems and response strategies.
Background: The effect of heatwaves on adverse birth outcomes is not well understood and may vary by how heatwaves are defined. The study aims to examine acute associations between various heatwave definitions and preterm and early-term birth.
Methods: Using national vital records from 50 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) between 1982 and 1988, singleton preterm (< 37 weeks) and early-term births (37-38 weeks) were matched (1:1) to controls who completed at least 37 weeks or 39 weeks of gestation, respectively.
Background: Access to an improved water supply and practicing exclusive breastfeeding are essential for improving maternal and child health outcomes. However, few studies have been equipped to assess the interdependencies between access to improved water, practicing exclusive breastfeeding, and child health. The primary aim of our study was to assess whether access to an improved water supply and water-fetching were associated with mothers' practice of exclusive breastfeeding.
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- - The C8 Science Panel found a 'probable link' between PFOA exposure and several health issues, including high cholesterol, certain cancers, and pregnancy-related hypertension, based on their 2012 study.
- - Recent commentary from former panel members highlights mixed evidence regarding PFOA's impact on various health conditions, noting consistent associations with cholesterol levels and ulcerative colitis, but inconclusive links to heart disease and other autoimmune disorders.
- - While developing models to estimate past PFOA exposure is essential, significant challenges remain due to a lack of historical emission data, complicating the assessment of causality in health outcomes.
Background: Caesarean delivery (C-section) may disrupt maternal-infant microbial transfer and alter immune system development and subsequent risk for atopic dermatitis.
Objective: Investigate the association between C-section and atopic dermatitis by age four and examine potential sources of bias in the relationship in a large cohort study.
Methods: Maternal and child information was collected through Kaiser Permanente Northern California's (KPNC) integrated healthcare system.
Cesarean delivery and the risk of allergic rhinitis in children.
Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol
September 2020
Background: Cesarean delivery (C-section) may influence the infant microbiome and affect immune system development and subsequent risk for allergic rhinitis (AR).
Objective: To investigate the association between C-section and AR at ages 6, 8, and 10 years.
Methods: Data were collected prospectively through Kaiser Permanente Northern Californias (KPNC) integrated healthcare system.
Context: Menstrual cycle function is determined by a complex endocrine axis that controls the ovaries and endometrium. While the late luteal phase is characterized by declining progesterone and estrogen, how these hormonal profiles relate to menstrual bleeding patterns is not well understood.
Objective: Characterize associations between luteal phase hormonal profiles and subsequent menstrual bleeding patterns, specifically spotting before bleeding.
Acute effects of outdoor air pollution on asthma exacerbations may vary by asthma phenotype (allergic vs nonallergic). Associations of ambient PM and ozone concentrations with acute asthma visits (office, urgent, emergency, and hospitalization) were investigated using electronic medical records. International Classification of Disease codes were used to identify asthmatics, and classify them based on the presence or absence of an allergic comorbidity in their medical records.
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- The study examines how different sources of air pollution (specifically PM2.5) affect health outcomes, particularly respiratory issues and emergencies in Atlanta, GA over 12 years.
- It uses a model that integrates several methods to identify and quantify the contributions of these pollution sources while addressing the uncertainties in the estimates.
- Findings indicate that increases in PM2.5 from biomass burning are linked with more respiratory emergencies, while results for cardiovascular issues are mixed, highlighting the importance of considering different pollution sources in health studies.