Pediatric Health Risks Among Children of Female Military Aviation Officers

Area of Science:

• Aerospace Medicine
• Pediatric Health
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Female aviators and aircrew experience unique occupational exposures during pregnancy.
• These exposures include noise, vibrations, chemicals, hypoxia, and high G-forces.
• The study aimed to evaluate associations between maternal aviation occupations and adverse pediatric health outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between maternal aviation service during pregnancy and pediatric health outcomes.
• To determine if children of female aviators face increased risks for adverse health conditions.
• To inform future research on the safety of occupational exposures in aviation during pregnancy.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study of children born to U.S. military female officers (October 2002 - December 2019).
• Exposure defined as mother serving in aviation/aircrew occupation at birth.
• Cox proportional hazards regression adjusted for maternal factors; adverse outcomes identified via ICD codes.

Main Results:

• Children of fixed-wing aviation officers (n=1144) compared to non-aviation officers (n=25,889).
• Reduced risk observed for adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes (HR 0.81), speech delay (HR 0.72), and congenital anomalies (HR 0.74).
• No increased risk for any adverse pediatric outcomes; study was underpowered for significance in five outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Maternal aviation careers in the military were not associated with increased risk for adverse pediatric outcomes in this study.
• The study was underpowered to conclusively determine the safety of prenatal aviation exposures.
• Further research is needed to fully understand the impact of flight exposures during pregnancy on child health.