Studies from Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health Describe New Findings in Managed Care [Preconception, prenatal and postnatal exposure to gaseous air pollutants (NO2, O3) and neurodevelopmental disorders in children among …]: Managed Care

2026 JUL 31 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Current study results on Managed Care have been published. According to news reporting out of Boston, Massachusetts, by NewsRx editors, research stated, “Although numerous etiological factors have been proposed for neurodevelopmental disorders, the contribution of environmental exposures remains insufficiently understood, particularly among socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. In this study, we evaluated the associations between exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO), ozone (O), and neurodevelopmental disorders among children enrolled in Medicaid, which provides health insurance for adults and children with limited income and resources.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health, “We conducted a retrospective cohort study among 1,543,129 mother-child pairs from 2001 to 2013 from the Medicaid Analytic Extract (MAX). NO and O levels were estimated by spatial-temporal machine learning models and were aggregated to the zip code level based on maternal residence. We applied a stratified Cox model that coupled with a distributed lag model (DLM) framework to explore sensitive windows of exposure, with the adjustment for co-pollutants, meteorological factors (temperature, relative humidity), as well as individual- and zip-code level covariates over the preconception, prenatal and postnatal periods. We examined effect modifications by race, sex and population density. Associations were mostly null during the preconception and prenatal periods, while the strongest association was observed for cumulative exposure to NO and risk of intellectual disability (HR = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.00-1.33) with a critical window (where each consecutive week’s HR was statistically significant) of exposure between 10 and 16 gestational weeks (HR = 1.04, 95% CI: 1.01 - 1.08). During the postnatal period, the strongest association was observed between NO and risk of learning difficulties (HR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.00-1.41), whereas no association was found for O and any neurodevelopmental disorders. Yet, negative associations were also observed for several combinations between NO/O and neurodevelopmental disorders. There was no evidence of effect modification by race, sex or population density.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Future studies should continue to accumulate evidence for the association between NO/O exposure and neurodevelopmental disorders in children.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Preconception, prenatal and postnatal exposure to gaseous air pollutants (NO2, O3) and neurodevelopmental disorders in children among Medicaid recipients: a national cohort study. Environmental Research, 2026:125270. Environmental Research can be contacted at: Academic Press Inc Elsevier Science, 525 B St, Ste 1900, San Diego, CA 92101-4495, USA. (Elsevier - www.elsevier.com; Environmental Research - http://www.journals.elsevier.com/environmental-research/)

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Wanyu Huang, Dept. of Environmental Health, Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Additional authors for this research include Krista F. Huybrechts, Sonia Hernandez-Diaz, Matthew Shupler, Xinye Qiu, Michael Leung, Yaguang Wei, Joel Schwartz, Brent Coull, Christopher J. McDougle, Antonella Zanobetti, Marc G. Weisskopf and Stefania Papatheodorou.

Publisher contact information for the journal Environmental Research is: Academic Press Inc Elsevier Science, 525 B St, Ste 1900, San Diego, CA 92101-4495, USA.

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