Maternal And Developmental Risks from Environmental and Social Stressors: An Environmental Health Disparities Center

Abstract

Eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in obesity is a national priority, especially given the numerous adverse cardio-metabolic consequences. By age 2, Hispanic children are nearly twice as likely to have a weight-for-length value >95th percentile compared to non-Hispanic white children. Rates of pregnancy-related obesity are also disproportionately high among Hispanic women. At the same time, over 19% of the California’s Hispanic population resides in one of the 10% most environmentally-burdened communities, while fewer than 3% of the state’s white population lives in those communities. These data confirm striking environmental and health disparities affecting Hispanics that are not well understood. To address these underlying disparities, we have established the “Maternal And Developmental Risks from Environmental and Social Stressors (MADRES)” Center for Environmental Health Disparities in a large, prospective pregnancy cohort of lower income, predominantly Hispanic women in Los Angeles. The MADRES...