According to a study by the USC MADRES Center for Environmental Health Disparities, low-income Hispanic / Latina women who are exposed to higher levels of contamination air during mid-pregnancy are at increased risk of depression one year after delivery.
The research, recently published in the journal Environmental Health, followed 180 women from the onset of pregnancy to a year after giving birth, tracking their exposure to nitrogen dioxide, ground-level ozone and particulate matter, such as emissions from vehicles, factories and power plants.
Environmental disparity
The study was based on MADRES ‘ongoing prospective pregnancy cohort of more than 800 Latina women, mostly low-income, recruited from community health prenatal care providers in Los Angeles between 2015 and 2020. Other studies from this cohort have examined childhood obesity and its disproportionate effect on low-income, urban minority communities in Los Angeles. MADRES is the abbreviation for Maternal and Developmental Risks Derived from Environmental and Social Stressors.
Minority communities, including Hispanic and black populations, are more likely to be exposed to harmful pollution because where they live and work is closer to the sources of pollution.
Evidence is mounting that air pollution can affect depression risk by activating neuro-inflammatory pathways from inhaled pollutants. Depression is twice as prevalent among women, and women from historically underserved communities, including Hispanic populations, face significant barriers to access mental health services.