Spatial analysis of teen births near the New Bedford Harbor Superfund site
Few studies have examined teen births at an individual-level to identify sociodemographic and environmental risk factors that may contribute to geographically high-risk areas. Communities around the New Bedford Harbor (NBH) Superfund site in southeast Massachusetts are racially and socioeconomically...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research: Health |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-5309/ada84c |
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| author | Nicole V DeVille Carolina Villanueva Susan A Korrick Verónica M Vieira |
| author_facet | Nicole V DeVille Carolina Villanueva Susan A Korrick Verónica M Vieira |
| author_sort | Nicole V DeVille |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Few studies have examined teen births at an individual-level to identify sociodemographic and environmental risk factors that may contribute to geographically high-risk areas. Communities around the New Bedford Harbor (NBH) Superfund site in southeast Massachusetts are racially and socioeconomically diverse and face potential environmental burdens. These psychosocial, chemical and physical stressors may be associated with behaviors that increase risk of teen birth. We examined associations between teen births (age < 20 years) from 1993–2009 and maternal residence at time of birth among mothers living in towns adjacent to the NBH Superfund site. We used generalized additive models with a smooth of residential location to predict teen birth risk among 29 472 births, adjusted for maternal race/ethnicity, birth country, and source of payment for prenatal care. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by location across the study area. Approximately 13% of births were to teen mothers. Residential location was significantly associated with teen birth. However, both the strength of associations and areas of elevated risk were attenuated after adjustment. The highest risk was observed north and northeast of the harbor (OR: 95% CI—3.19: 2.08, 4.88 and 2.93: 1.47, 5.82), which aligns with the prevailing wind direction from the harbor. Our study illustrates the importance of assessing the independent contributions of sociodemographic factors to geographic variation in teen birth risk. After accounting for maternal characteristics, results highlight areas within the study region where high-risk individuals may have also experienced environmental stressors. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-152cf897710f49db8770a172254a0681 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2752-5309 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research: Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-152cf897710f49db8770a172254a06812025-01-27T10:39:52ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research: Health2752-53092025-01-013101501210.1088/2752-5309/ada84cSpatial analysis of teen births near the New Bedford Harbor Superfund siteNicole V DeVille0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2199-8805Carolina Villanueva1Susan A Korrick2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5966-1036Verónica M Vieira3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7153-4606Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health, Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences, University of California , Irvine, CA, United States of America; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Nevada , Las Vegas, NV, United States of AmericaDepartment of Environmental and Occupational Health, Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health, Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences, University of California , Irvine, CA, United States of AmericaChanning Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School , Boston, MA, United States of AmericaDepartment of Environmental and Occupational Health, Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health, Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences, University of California , Irvine, CA, United States of AmericaFew studies have examined teen births at an individual-level to identify sociodemographic and environmental risk factors that may contribute to geographically high-risk areas. Communities around the New Bedford Harbor (NBH) Superfund site in southeast Massachusetts are racially and socioeconomically diverse and face potential environmental burdens. These psychosocial, chemical and physical stressors may be associated with behaviors that increase risk of teen birth. We examined associations between teen births (age < 20 years) from 1993–2009 and maternal residence at time of birth among mothers living in towns adjacent to the NBH Superfund site. We used generalized additive models with a smooth of residential location to predict teen birth risk among 29 472 births, adjusted for maternal race/ethnicity, birth country, and source of payment for prenatal care. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by location across the study area. Approximately 13% of births were to teen mothers. Residential location was significantly associated with teen birth. However, both the strength of associations and areas of elevated risk were attenuated after adjustment. The highest risk was observed north and northeast of the harbor (OR: 95% CI—3.19: 2.08, 4.88 and 2.93: 1.47, 5.82), which aligns with the prevailing wind direction from the harbor. Our study illustrates the importance of assessing the independent contributions of sociodemographic factors to geographic variation in teen birth risk. After accounting for maternal characteristics, results highlight areas within the study region where high-risk individuals may have also experienced environmental stressors.https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-5309/ada84cbirthsteensenvironmentalsociodemographicgeographicsuperfund |
| spellingShingle | Nicole V DeVille Carolina Villanueva Susan A Korrick Verónica M Vieira Spatial analysis of teen births near the New Bedford Harbor Superfund site Environmental Research: Health births teens environmental sociodemographic geographic superfund |
| title | Spatial analysis of teen births near the New Bedford Harbor Superfund site |
| title_full | Spatial analysis of teen births near the New Bedford Harbor Superfund site |
| title_fullStr | Spatial analysis of teen births near the New Bedford Harbor Superfund site |
| title_full_unstemmed | Spatial analysis of teen births near the New Bedford Harbor Superfund site |
| title_short | Spatial analysis of teen births near the New Bedford Harbor Superfund site |
| title_sort | spatial analysis of teen births near the new bedford harbor superfund site |
| topic | births teens environmental sociodemographic geographic superfund |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-5309/ada84c |
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