Assessing Environmental Justice in Mexico: How Polluting Industries and Healthcare Disparities Impact Congenital Heart Defects

IF 1.6 4区医学 Q4 DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY

Birth Defects Research Pub Date : 2025-03-13 DOI:10.1002/bdr2.2463

Maria Jose Talayero, Carlos Santos-Burgoa, Jordan Kuiper, Robert Canales, Andrea Gropman

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are the most prevalent birth defects globally and the second leading cause of death in Mexican children under five. This study examines how industrial activity and social vulnerabilities independently and jointly influence CHD incidence across 2446 Mexican municipalities from 2008 to 2019.

Methods

Using negative binomial regression models, we evaluated associations between polluting industries, healthcare access, and CHD incidence. We analyzed these factors independently, jointly, and through interaction terms to assess potential effect modification by healthcare access. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and 95% confidence intervals were estimated across healthcare access strata.

Results

Municipalities without healthcare facilities were more likely to host polluting industries, highlighting structural inequities. The presence of polluting industries was associated with increased CHD incidence, even after adjusting for healthcare access. For instance, municipalities with poor healthcare access and two or more polluting industries exhibited a 42% higher CHD incidence (IRR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.25–1.60) compared to a 26% increase in municipalities with better healthcare access (IRR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.02–1.57).

Conclusions

These results show how environmental pollutant exposure and social vulnerabilities interact synergistically, disproportionately impacting socially vulnerable populations. Targeted policy interventions addressing both environmental pollution and healthcare inequities are crucial. Further research is also needed to clarify the mechanisms linking pollution to CHDs and to guide public health strategies aimed at reducing these disparities in Mexico.

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来源期刊

Birth Defects Research Medicine-Embryology

CiteScore

3.60

自引率

9.50%

发文量

153

期刊介绍： The journal Birth Defects Research publishes original research and reviews in areas related to the etiology of adverse developmental and reproductive outcome. In particular the journal is devoted to the publication of original scientific research that contributes to the understanding of the biology of embryonic development and the prenatal causative factors and mechanisms leading to adverse pregnancy outcomes, namely structural and functional birth defects, pregnancy loss, postnatal functional defects in the human population, and to the identification of prenatal factors and biological mechanisms that reduce these risks. Adverse reproductive and developmental outcomes may have genetic, environmental, nutritional or epigenetic causes. Accordingly, the journal Birth Defects Research takes an integrated, multidisciplinary approach in its organization and publication strategy. The journal Birth Defects Research contains separate sections for clinical and molecular teratology, developmental and reproductive toxicology, and reviews in developmental biology to acknowledge and accommodate the integrative nature of research in this field. Each section has a dedicated editor who is a leader in his/her field and who has full editorial authority in his/her area.