Impact of prenatal maternal psychological distress on fetal biometric parameters in household air pollution-exposed Nigerian women

Rationale Studies identify prenatal household air pollution (HAP) exposure and maternal psychological distress (PMPD) as independent factors contributing to gestational ill-health and adverse birth outcomes. Objective We investigated the impact of PMPD on fetal biometric parameters (FBP) in HAP-exposed pregnant Nigerian women. Methods The randomized controlled trial (RCT; ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02394574) investigated effects of HAP exposure in pregnant Nigerian women (n = 324), who customarily cooked with polluting fuels (firewood or kerosene). Half of the women (intervention group) were given CleanCook ethanol stoves to use for 156 days during the study. Once a month, all women were administered an abridged version of the SF-12v2TM health-related quality of life questionnaire to assess psychological distress. Using mixed effects linear regression models, adjusted for relevant covariates, we analyzed associations between the women’s exposure to PM2·5 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter Results PMPD negatively impacted UEFW, HC, FL, BPD and BL (p2.5 exposure and PMPD scores. Conclusions PMPD was an independent mediator of adverse fetal biometric parameters in pregnant women, who were exposed to HAP from burning of firewood/kerosene. Formulating preventative measures to alleviate maternal distress during pregnancy and reducing exposure to HAP is important from public health perspectives.</p