Exposure to Air Pollution and Pregnancy Outcomes in the East Mediterranean Region: a Systematic Review

Khader, Yousef; Abdelrahman, Mostafa; Abdo, Nour; Awad, Samah; Al-Sharif, Munjed; Elbetieha, Ahmed; Malkawi, Mazen

doi:10.22038/ijp.2016.6285

Exposure to Air Pollution and Pregnancy Outcomes in the East Mediterranean Region: a Systematic Review

Authors

Yousef Khader ¹

Mostafa Abdelrahman ²

Nour Abdo ¹

Samah Awad ³

Munjed Al-Sharif ⁴

Ahmed Elbetieha ⁵

Mazen Malkawi ⁶

¹ Department of Community Medicine, Public Health and Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.

² Department of Allied Medical Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.

³ Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.

⁴ School of Natural Resources Engineering and Management, German Jordanian University, Amman, Jordan.

⁵ Department of Applied Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Arts, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Ibrid, Jordan.

⁶ Centre for Environmental Health Activities, Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, WHO, Genève, Schweizer.

10.22038/ijp.2016.6285

Abstract

The East Mediterranean region suffers from high levels of air pollution which has a negative impact on pregnancy outcomes. This work systematically reviews the epidemiological evidence on maternal exposure to air pollution and adverse pregnancy outcomes in the region. Relevant papers and reports published between 2000 and 2014 were searched. Combinations of search terms including countries, exposures, and pregnancy outcomes were used to search for the relevant literature. Twelve articles from 6 countries met the inclusion criteria. There was a pattern of an association between outdoor air pollution and preterm birth and spontaneous abortion; indoor wood fuel smoke and birth weight; and second-hand smoke and birth weight, preterm birth, and spontaneous abortion.
The quality of evidence on the impact of air pollution on pregnancy outcomes in the EMR is inadequate to form a base for future adaptation strategies and action plans. Therefore, more quality research is needed to portrait the actual situation in the region

Keywords

Air pollution

East Mediterranean region

Pregnancy outcomes