US EPA

3360880 

Journal Article 

Incense Burning during Pregnancy and Birth Weight and Head Circumference among Term Births: The Taiwan Birth Cohort Study 

Chen, LY; Ho, C 

2016 

Yes 

Environmental Health Perspectives
ISSN: 0091-6765
EISSN: 1552-9924 

US DEPT HEALTH HUMAN SCIENCES PUBLIC HEALTH SCIENCE 

RES TRIANGLE PK 

124 

9 

1487-1492 

English 

26967367 

10.1289/ehp.1509922 

WOS:000382530200030 

BACKGROUND: Incense burning for rituals or religious purposes is an important tradition in many countries. However, incense smoke contains particulate matter and gas products such as carbon monoxide, sulfur and nitrogen dioxide, which are potentially harmful to health.

OBJECTIVES: We analyzed the relationship between prenatal incense burning and birth weight and head circumference at birth using the Taiwan Birth Cohort Study. We also analyzed whether the associations varied by gender and along the distribution of birth outcomes.

METHODS: We performed ordinary least squares (OLS) and quantile regressions analysis on a sample of 15,773 term births (> 37 gestational weeks, 8,216 boys and 7,557 girls) in Taiwan in 2005. The associations were estimated separately for boys and girls as well as for the population as a whole. We controlled extensively for factors that may be correlated with incense burning and birth weight and head circumference, such as parental religion, demographics and health characteristics, as well as pregnancy related variables.

RESULTS: Findings from fully-adjusted OLS regressions indicated that exposure to incense was associated with lower birth weight in boys (-18 grams; 95% CI: -36, -0.94) but not girls (1 gram; 95% CI -17, 19; interaction p-value = 0.31). Associations with head circumference were negative for boys (-0.95mm; 95% CI: -1.8, -0.16) and girls (-0.71mm; 95% CI: -1.5, 0.11; interaction p-value = 0.73). Quantile regression results suggested that the negative associations were larger among the lower quantiles of birth outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS: Prenatal incense burning was associated with lower birth weight for boys and smaller head circumference for boys and girls from OLS regressions. The associations were more pronounced among the lower quantiles of birth outcomes. Further research is necessary to confirm whether incense burning has differential effects by gender.