Perinatal Resources and Wildfire Smoke

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Maternal and Child Health
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Wildfire smoke poses significant health risks to pregnant people and infants.
• The availability of critical perinatal healthcare resources in smoke-impacted regions remains largely unexamined.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess and map the distribution of perinatal care resources in U.S. counties with varying wildfire smoke exposure levels.
• To identify disparities in access to maternity care and neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) based on wildfire smoke risk.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Hazard Mapping System for wildfire smoke exposure (2016-2020) across U.S. counties.
• Assessed perinatal resources including proximity to maternity hospitals and NICUs, hospital volume, geographic isolation, and availability of OB-GYN and family medicine physicians.
• Employed geographic mapping and regression analyses to compare resource availability by smoke risk, including a subgroup analysis of rural counties.

Main Results:

• Counties with high wildfire smoke risk exhibited significantly fewer OB-GYNs per 10,000 births compared to low-risk counties.
• High-risk counties were located farther from the nearest maternity hospital and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
• These disparities in access to perinatal care persisted even after accounting for sociodemographic factors and were evident in rural areas.

Conclusions:

• Communities frequently exposed to wildfire smoke often face geographic barriers to essential healthcare services for pregnant individuals and newborns.
• Findings highlight an urgent need to improve healthcare infrastructure and access in wildfire-prone regions to mitigate risks for vulnerable populations.