Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 10, 2025
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Environmental phenol mixture during pregnancy and child sleep quality in the ECHO cohort
Sarah D Geiger1,2, Xiaoshuang Xun3, Cai Zhang1,2
1Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States.
Insights
Prenatal exposure to certain phenols, like methylparaben, may negatively impact child sleep quality. These associations can differ based on a child's sex, highlighting potential environmental influences on early development.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Pediatric Sleep Science
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Childhood sleep quality influences lifelong health.
- Prenatal exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can affect fetal development.
- EDCs, such as phenols, are linked to sleep disturbances in adults.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between prenatal phenol concentrations and child sleep outcomes.
- To determine if specific phenols are linked to problems, disturbance, or impairment in children's sleep.
- To explore the role of child sex in modifying these associations.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from the NIH ECHO Cohort (n=1,198) collected between 2008-2019.
- Utilized single-pollutant and mixture models to assess prenatal phenol levels and child sleep outcomes.
- Child sleep was measured using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and PROMIS scales; sex-specific interactions were examined.
Main Results:
- Higher prenatal methylparaben concentrations were associated with lower child sleep-related impairment.
- Benzophenone-3 and Bisphenol A associations with sleep disturbance/impairment were stronger in boys.
- No overall association was found between phenol mixtures and child sleep outcomes by sex.
Conclusions:
- Prenatal phenol exposure may be linked to altered sleep quality in children.
- Child sex appears to be a significant modifier in the relationship between prenatal phenols and sleep outcomes.
- Findings underscore the importance of environmental factors during pregnancy on child development.
Introduction:
Poor sleep quality in childhood can predict sleep quality throughout the lifecourse and other health outcomes. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals can affect adults' sleep quality, and prenatal phenol exposure impacts fetal development.
Objective:
To assess associations between prenatal phenol concentrations and child sleep outcomes.
Methods:
We used data from the National Institutes of Health-funded Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Cohort (n = 1,198) that were collected from 2008 to 2019 at several sites across the United States. The present analysis was conducted in 2023-2024. Using single-pollutant and mixture models, we examined associations between prenatal phenol concentrations and three key child sleep quality outcomes: sleep problems, disturbance, and impairment. Child sleep outcomes were assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Sleep Disturbance and Sleep-Related Impairment scales. Unadjusted and multivariable-adjusted models were examined, with stratified models and interaction terms used to examine interactions with child sex.
Results:
Of the eight phenols assessed, higher prenatal methylparaben concentrations were associated with lower child sleep-related impairment scores (β = -4.79, 95% CI: -9.45 to -0.14). Sex modified the associations for benzophenone-3 and PROMIS sleep disturbance T-scores, where the association was stronger among boys (tertile 3 vs. 1, β = 3.20; 95% CI: 0.27-6.14; p = 0.033) and did not persist among girls. Bisphenol A was associated with sleep-related impairment among boys (tertile 2 vs. 1, β = -5.69; 95% CI: 0.55-10.82; p = 0.031). Phenol mixtures were not associated with sleep outcomes overall or by sex.
Conclusion:
The findings suggest that phenol exposure during pregnancy may be associated with child sleep quality and that child sex modifies this association.
More Related Videos
12:02Human Primary Trophoblast Cell Culture Model to Study the Protective Effects of Melatonin Against Hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced Disruption
Published on: July 30, 2016
07:08Long-term Behavioral and Reproductive Consequences of Embryonic Exposure to Low-dose Toxicants
Published on: March 6, 2018
Related Concept Videos
01:24Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep
Understanding the concepts of physical dependence,...
02:27Background and Environment Affect Phenotype
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...
01:23Upper Respiratory Drugs: Antitussives, Expectorants, and Mucolytics
Antitussives include codeine, dextromethorphan (Robitussin), and benzonatate (Tessalon). Codeine and dextromethorphan exert their effects centrally by suppressing the cough reflex center in the medulla. Benzonatate operates peripherally within the respiratory tract by...