The Association Between Ambient Temperature and Preterm Birth in Shenzhen, China: a Distributed Lag Non-linear Time Series Analysis

Overview

Journal Environ Health

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Environmental Health

Date 2016 Aug 10

PMID 27503307

Citations 27

Authors

Zhijiang Liang

Yan Lin

Yuanzhu Ma

Lei Zhang

Xue Zhang

Li Li

Shaoqiang Zhang

Yuli Cheng

Xiaomei Zhou

Hualiang Lin

Huazhang Miao

Qingguo Zhao

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: A few studies have examined the association between ambient temperature and preterm birth (PTB), and the results have been inconsistent. This study explored the association between ambient temperature and PTB in Shenzhen, China.

Methods: Data of daily singleton PTB, air pollution and meteorological variables from 2005 to 2011 were collected in Shenzhen. A distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) was used to investigate the association of the low and high temperatures (1st, 5th, 95th, and 99th percentiles) with PTB.

Results: The median temperature was 24.5 °C and the 1st, 5th, 95th, and 99th percentiles of daily mean temperatures were 9, 12.5, 29.9 and 30.7 °C, respectively. The prevalence of singleton PTB was 5.61 % in Shenzhen. The association between temperature and PTB was not linear. There was an immediate positive association of low temperature (1st and 5th percentiles) and a negative association of high temperature (95th and 99th percentiles) with PTB. The effect of low temperature 9 °C (1st) on PTB on the current day was stronger than that of 12.5 °C (5th), with a relative risk (RR) of 1.54 (95 % CI: 1.36-1.75) and 1.49 (95 % CI: 1.35-1.63), respectively. The cumulative RR (up to 30 days) of 9 and 12.5 °C was 1.72 (95 % CI: 1.28-2.33) and 1.96 (95 % CI: 1.60-2.39), respectively. The cumulative effects (up to 30 days) of high temperature (95th and 99th percentiles) on PTB were 0.69 (95 % CI: 0.60-0.80) and 0.62 (95 % CI: 0.52-0.74), respectively. The cumulative effect (up to 30 days) of low temperatures on vaginal delivery PTB was lower than that of the cesarean section PTB with an RR of 1.58 (95 % CI: 1.12-2.22) and 1.93 (95 % CI: 1.21-3.08), respectively.

Conclusions: This study suggests that low temperature might be a risk factor, while high temperature might be a protective factor of PTB in Shenzhen.

Citing Articles

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Huang Q, Pan X, Yan S, Sun Z, Lai Y, Ye Y BMC Public Health. 2025; 25(1):299.

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Impact of ambient heat exposure on pregnancy outcomes in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review.

Lakhani S, Ambreen S, Padhani Z, Fahim Y, Qamar S, Meherali S Womens Health (Lond). 2024; 20:17455057241291271.

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Das S, Sagar S, Chowdhury S, Akter K, Haq M, Hanifi S Front Public Health. 2023; 11:1238275.

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