Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28732016›Full record

ArticlePloS one2017

Maternal residential proximity to unconventional gas development and perinatal outcomes among a diverse urban population in Texas.

Kristina W Whitworth, Amanda K Marshall, Elaine Symanski

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 39 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
39citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
6.7field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

39 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 77 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. The public health impacts of mining in Australia.The Medical journal of Australia · 2025
    Pooled it
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  10. The human health effects of unconventional oil and gas development (UOGD): A scoping review of epidemiologic studies.Canadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de sante publique · 2024
    Article
  11. Short-Term Increases in NOEnvironmental science & technology · 2024
    Article
  12. Article
  13. Review
  14. Article
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  16. Proximity to coal-fired power plants and neurobehavioral symptoms in children.Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology · 2022
    Article
  17. Article
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  19. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Kristina W WhitworthDepartment of Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Sciences, UTHealth School of Public Health in San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2334-6066
Amanda K MarshallDepartment of Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Sciences, UTHealth School of Public Health in San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America.
Elaine SymanskiSouthwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, UTHealth School of Public Health, Houston, Texas, United States of America.
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio · USUniversity of Texas Health Science Center at Dallas · US

Funding

Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental HealthT42OH008421 · OH · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCI CTR HOUSTON · PI FELKNOR, SARAH A. · 2005 to 2024
$24.1M
Maternal Residential Proximity to Shale Gas Extraction and Pregnancy OutcomesR03ES023954 · NIEHS · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCI CTR HOUSTON · PI WHITWORTH, KRISTINA WALKER · 2014 to 2015
$152k
ACL HHS T42OH008421NIEHS NIH HHS R03 ES023954NIOSH CDC HHS T42 OH008421
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo assess associations between unconventional natural gas development (UGD) and perinatal outcomes.

methodsWe conducted a retrospective birth cohort study among 158,894 women with a birth or fetal death from November 30, 2010-November 29, 2012 in the Barnett Shale, in North Texas. We constructed three UGD-activity metrics by calculating the inverse distance-weighted sum of active wells within three separate geographic buffers surrounding the maternal residence: ≤½, 2, or 10-miles. We excluded women if the nearest well to her residence was >20 miles. Metrics were categorized by tertiles among women with ≥1 well within the respective buffer; women with zero wells ≤10 miles (the largest buffer) served as a common referent group. We used logistic or linear regression with generalized estimating equations to assess associations between UGD-activity and preterm birth, small-for-gestational age (SGA), fetal death, or birthweight. Adjusted models of fetal death and birthweight included: maternal age, race/ethnicity, education, pre-pregnancy body mass index, parity, smoking, adequacy of prenatal care, previous poor pregnancy outcome, and infant sex. Preterm birth models included all of the above except parity; SGA models included all of the above except previous poor pregnancy outcome.

resultsWe found increased adjusted odds of preterm birth associated with UGD-activity in the highest tertiles of the ½- (odds ratio (OR) = 1.14; 95% confidence interval 1.03, 1.25), 2- (1.14; 1.07, 1.22), and 10-mile (1.15; 1.08, 1.22) metrics. Increased adjusted odds of fetal death were found in the second tertile of the 2-mile metric (1.56; 1.16, 2.11) and the highest tertile of the 10-mile metric (1.34; 1.04-1.72). We found little indication of an association with SGA or term birthweight.

conclusionsOur results are suggestive of an association between maternal residential proximity to UGD-activity and preterm birth and fetal death. Quantifying chemical and non-chemical stressors among residents near UGD should be prioritized.

Indexed as

Maternal ExposureOil and Gas IndustryPregnancy OutcomeAdultFemaleGeography, MedicalHumansLinear ModelsLogistic ModelsPregnancyPremature BirthRetrospective StudiesTexasUrban PopulationYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID28732016
PMCPMC5522007
OpenAlexW2739204141

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.