Impacts of ambient air pollution exposure on child growth in East African countries

Abstract

Stunting and wasting are important indicators of the child’s physical and cognitive impairments. These indicators are frequently associated with malnutrition and related health care. However, with the increase in air pollution threats, the role of air pollution in impacting children’s growth has been speculated. This study assessed prenatal and postnatal exposure to air pollution and the effects it may have on the child’s growth in five East African countries. The adjusted linear regression model showed that prenatal exposure to PM_2.5 and CO reduced the height-for-age score with an increase of 1 µg/m³ in PM_2.5 and 1 ppb in CO above the average values resulting in the reduction of the height-for-age score by 0.0106 (Standard Error (SE): 0.0016) and 0.0020 (SE: 0.0005) points, respectively. Moreover, the logistic regression model suggested that postnatal exposure to PM_2.5, O₃, and CO respectively contributed by 0.1% (95% Confidence Interval (CI): -0.7%; 0.8%), 3.0% (1.9%; 4.1%) and 1.4% (1.2%; 1.6%) on the stunting prevalence. Furthermore, the same air criteria pollutants showed significant effects on the weight-for-height and weight-for-age related indicators. These results should be useful for policies aiming at the protection of children’s health in the region.