Utilizing daily excessive concentration hours to estimate small for gestational age infants attributable to fine particulate matter in Wuhan, China

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Objectives In China, there have been limited studies on the correlation between PM2.5 (fine particulate matter) and the occurrence of small for gestational age infants (SGA), and the majority of these studies have used the daily average concentration of PM2.5 as an exposure indicator. This study used daily excessive concentration hours (DECH) as a novel exposure measure to gauge the impact of PM2.5 on SGA in Wuhan. Methods Air pollutants and gravidae data are collected from the Wuhan Municipal Ecology and Environmental Bureau and Wuhan Children's Hospital, respectively. A logistic regression model was employed to evaluate the contributory impacts of PM2.5-DECH and PM2.5-mean on SGA. Results In this study, the notable correlations between PM2.5-mean and SGA were found during the second trimester [OR = 1.23 (95% CI: 1.14–1.32)] and the entire pregnancy [OR = 1.15 (95% CI: 1.07–1.24)]. This correlation was also observed between PM2.5-DECH and SGA in the second trimester [OR = 1.24 (95% CI: 1.16–1.34)] and the entire pregnancy [OR = 1.14 (95% CI: 1.06–1.22)]. No statistically meaningful disparities were observed among different subgroups in the analysis stratified by age, employment status, and education attainment. Through attribution analysis, we observed an approximate disease burden caused by PM2.5-mean and PM2.5-DECH. Conclusions Our study indicates that elevated levels of PM2.5 exposure are correlated with an elevated likelihood of SGA. In addition, this study indicates that DECH may be used as a prospective substitute indicator for daily average concentration to study the connection between PM2.5 and detrimental health impacts.