Effects of ambient air pollution, fresh fruit and vegetable intakes as well as maternal psychosocial stress on the outcome of newborn otoacoustic emission hearing screening

Background Newborn hearing screening results indicated that more than 40% of the detected infants had no recognized risk factors. To determine whether maternal exposure to ambient air pollutants and experience of stressful life event, as well as lack of fresh fruit and vegetable during pregnancy are associated with the abnormal hearing development among newborns. Methods A total of 1193 newborns and their mothers were recruited in this study. Personal information and covariates were collected by face to face interview. Medical examination results of newborns and their mothers were extracted from medical record. We estimated personal air pollutant exposure level through inverse distance weighted method based on data from air quality monitoring stations and assessed the auditory development of newborns via distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE). Unconditional logistic regression model was used to estimate the relationship between DPOAE screening result and the potential influential factors as well as the combined effect. Results The results indicated that PM 10 exposure during the second trimester and stressful life event during the third trimester could increase the risk of not passing DPOAE test among newborns. However, frequent intakes of fruit and vegetable significantly reduced the risk. There was a synergetic interaction between PM 10 exposure and stressful life event on neonatal hearing development. Conclusions To alleviate abnormal auditory development among fetus, pregnant woman should decrease the exposures to ambient air pollutant and negative life event and at the same time, intake sufficient fresh fruit and vegetable.