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Mapping susceptibility to air pollution and its association with birth defects: a tool for public health intervention

datacite.subject.fosCiências Médicas::Ciências da Saúde
datacite.subject.sdg03:Saúde de Qualidade
dc.contributor.authorAniceto, Carlos
dc.contributor.authorBraz, Paula
dc.contributor.authorMachado, Ausenda
dc.contributor.authorDias, Carlos Matias
dc.date.accessioned2025-08-05T16:54:26Z
dc.date.available2025-08-05T16:54:26Z
dc.date.issued2025-06-11
dc.description.abstractEpidemiological studies evaluating the relation of environmental air pollution (AP) and birth defect (BD) are relevant to public health. Some limitations on these studies may derive from multiple factors contributing to the spatial variation of AP. This study aimed to integrate multifactorial AP indicators into an index and explore its application in a case-control study conducted in Portugal between 2016 and 2021. Spatial multicriteria analysis was employed to identify areas susceptible to AP. Variables included: (i) Euclidean distance to industrial units; (ii) kernel estimation of industrial units density; (iii) land occupation; (iv) Euclidean distance to main roads; and (v) areas conductive to radiation fog formation. Variables were classified into high, moderate, and low susceptibility. An AP susceptibility map was generated using the weighted linear combination method, with the analytic hierarchy process assigning weights to the variables. Georeferenced BD cases and controls were overlaid with environmental exposure variables and the AP index. Three AP susceptibility areas were identified: consolidated urban, peri-urban area, and a residential–industrial area. In areas of high susceptibility, 47 cases (29%) and 65 controls (31%) were observed; and in areas of low susceptibility 25 cases (15%) and 21 controls (10%) were observed. The development of the AP susceptibility map has been demonstrated to be a valuable tool for identifying patterns, generating hypotheses regarding the potential environmental exposure of NB to AP agents during pregnancy. When integrated into more complex analyses, these findings may contribute to assess the potential risk factors that play a major role in BD.eng
dc.description.abstractKey points: - A case-control study was conducted to investigate the association between birth defects and maternal environmental exposure during pregnancy; - Spatial multicriteria analysis methodology was applied using geographic information system software; Five environmental factors were considered, each contributing to the emission and concentration of air pollutants in varying degrees: distance from polluting economic activities, density of polluting economic activities per square kilometer, distance to major road traffic, land use type and areas conducive to radiation fog formation; - A spatial index of air pollution susceptibility was generated; - Spatial analysis methodologies can be valuable tools for public health intervention.por
dc.identifier.citationEur J Public Health. 2025 Jun 11:ckaf077. doi: 10.1093/eurpub/ckaf077. Online ahead of print
dc.identifier.doi10.1093/eurpub/ckaf077
dc.identifier.eissn40499154
dc.identifier.issn1101-1262
dc.identifier.pmid1464-360X
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10400.18/10534
dc.language.isoeng
dc.peerreviewedyes
dc.publisherOxford University Press
dc.relation.hasversionhttps://academic.oup.com/eurpub/advance-article/doi/10.1093/eurpub/ckaf077/8160614
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectBirth Defects
dc.subjectSpatial Multicriteria Analysis
dc.subjectAir Pollution
dc.subjectCase-control Study
dc.subjectEpidemiological Studies
dc.subjectEpidemiology
dc.subjectPublic Health
dc.subjectDeterminantes da Saúde e da Doença
dc.titleMapping susceptibility to air pollution and its association with birth defects: a tool for public health interventioneng
dc.typejournal article
dcterms.referenceshttps://oup.silverchair-cdn.com/oup/backfile/Content_public/Journal/eurpub/PAP/10.1093_eurpub_ckaf077/1/ckaf077_supplementary_data.zip?Expires=1757430700&Signature=fdLtdVJvKGiOFULgBJH6xzkK2Qo30ln2~xowX0fNe4RL1RCINcJCa9qDfO1Va3ulgAqFclQtYcTy78Y30XsmVfPv6EwQFWCSMtA4ldfdkTB1~aIPpsTUKYQbdOQsL1cO4qEobQr96pemxQuWk98ZDKBEZtaw4TDgImA4Nm4povBc8TvS~76WvCOgNzb5NxcNN74yIoVVn5o9H52~lsQrw3OnFpMXPldUSkZsBijZEQ2PsWSRtRgJCPOr8YWS48yV1sOOn4oEMmljP7UpKjeCQF72h0EKIH6SkXvmqHX5etbN49NKnvULUD9zSKI39zbnoxzNGXPWHVthQN2e-3qy0w__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAIE5G5CRDK6RD3PGA
dspace.entity.typePublication
oaire.citation.startPageckaf077
oaire.citation.titleEuropean Journal of Public Health
oaire.versionhttp://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85

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