Grant: Operating Grant - PA: First Nations, Inuit and Metis Health

Exposure to contaminants during pregnancy is associated with certain adverse birth outcomes that require further investigation. The proposed project is an analysis of environmental and reproductive health in British Columbia, Yukon, and Alberta. The reproductive endpoints shown to reflect an exposure-disease relationship include low birth weight, premature births, small-for-gestational age, stillbirths and infant death. Low birth weight and small-for-gestational age are major determinants of morbidity and mortality among newborn infants, and are risk factors for behavioural and chronic disabilities later in life. The production of small-area disease risk maps are useful for monitoring and surveillance purposes by defining a baseline spatial disease pattern that can be reassessed over time. The methods employed for this project will incorporate spatial statistical techniques and epidemiological methods with the aid of geographical information systems (GIS). Statistical models will be used to produce reliable risk estimates of the specific birth outcomes at the community level. We have produced preliminary data utilizing birth data obtained from the BC Perinatal Health Program and environmental contaminant data from the National Pollutant Release Inventory and other national and provincial sources. The perinatal data include birth outcome and numerous maternal and antenatal risk factor data for all singleton births in BC from 2001 - 2006. The goal is to produce a robust model capable of analyzing birth outcomes particularly attuned for remote and Aboriginal populations where the risk of environmental exposures is high. Ultimately, community health risk maps will serve to facilitate the formulation of health policy decisions with respect to the allocation of funding and resources to minimize environmental risk.