USC Environmental Health Centers

USC-led international study shows that asthma can make young people more susceptible to other health problems later in life

Press: BBC UK Radio (interview begins at 18:54), The Sun (UK), The Times of India (Video), USC News, USC Annenberg Radio,

Gary Polakovic, USC News, October 9, 2018

Toddlers with asthma are more likely to become obese children, according to a big international study led by USC scientists.

The finding is a turnabout for children’s health as obesity has often been seen as a precursor to asthma in children, not the other way around. The study, conducted by a team of 40 scientists including researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, was recently published in the European Respiratory Journal.

This is the largest study yet about early-onset asthma and obesity. It focused on more than 20,000 youths across Europe. It shows that, beyond wheezing and shortness of breath, asthma can lead to bodies that make young people more susceptible to other health problems later in life. Continue reading “NEW RESEARCH: Asthma may contribute to the childhood obesity epidemic”

October 2018 – In recognition of Children’s Environmental Health Month, we will be featuring posts on our social media channels using the hashtag #ProtectKidsHealth. Look for information about the research, background information and actions people can take to help reduce environmental exposures to improve children’s health. Repost, retweet, and share posts from our center on topics you, your family members, and your community are interested in and want to raise awareness about. Look for posts in Spanish and English!

To stay engaged, follow USC Environmental Health Centers on social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

October 11 is Children’s Environmental Health Day! In celebration of this day, the Children’s Environmental Health Network has organized an extensive social media campaign. Learn more about it here.

 

News Release:

Particle pollution is the culprit, raising concern about health impacts later in life

by Gary Polakovic, USC News, September 17, 2018

Soot and dust in smoggy cities alters thyroid development in fetuses, raising concern about health impacts later in life, new USC research shows.

It means that before a doctor cuts the umbilical cord or a parent hugs a baby, the caress of air pollution already reached the womb’s inner sanctum. The timing couldn’t be worse, as the researchers found that no matter when they checked, thyroid impacts were evident until the final month of gestation.

This is one of the few studies to monitor air pollution effects on a developing fetus and the first to track pollution changes month by month on thyroid hormones. The newly published research paper appears in JAMA Network Open.

“Air pollution is bad for adults and children and this study shows it may be bad for the fetus too, despite being protected in the womb,” said Carrie Breton, corresponding author of the study and associate professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. “Thyroid function is important for lots of elements of life and tweaking that in utero may have lifelong consequences.” Continue reading “NEW RESEARCH: Air pollution affects thyroid development in fetuses”