Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40316971›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2025

Identifying the critical windows and joint effects of greenness and particulate matter exposures for preterm birth: a retrospective study across Guangdong Province in China from 2014 to 2018.

Zhijiang Liang, Fan-Shuo Meng, Yi Zhang, Jialing Qiu, Lulu Xie, Qian Yao, Xianqiong Luo, Ji-Yuan Zhou

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

8 authors.

Zhijiang Liang *Department of Public Health, Guangdong Women and Children Hospital, 521 Xingnan Road, Panyu District, Guangzhou, 511442, China.
Fan-Shuo Meng *Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health (State Key Laboratory of Multi-Organ Injury Prevention and Treatment, and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research), Southern Medical University, No. 1023, South Shatai Road, Baiyun District, Guangzhou, 510515, China.
Yi ZhangDepartment of Biostatistics, School of Public Health (State Key Laboratory of Multi-Organ Injury Prevention and Treatment, and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research), Southern Medical University, No. 1023, South Shatai Road, Baiyun District, Guangzhou, 510515, China.
Jialing QiuDepartment of Human Resources, Guangdong Women and Children Hospital, 521 Xingnan Road, Panyu District, Guangzhou, 511442, China.
Lulu XieDepartment of Pediatrics, Guangdong Women and Children Hospital, 521 Xingnan Road, Panyu District, Guangzhou, 511442, China.
Qian YaoDepartment of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China.
Xianqiong LuoDepartment of Pediatrics, Guangdong Women and Children Hospital, 521 Xingnan Road, Panyu District, Guangzhou, 511442, China. luoxianqiong@gzhmu.edu.cn.
Ji-Yuan ZhouDepartment of Biostatistics, School of Public Health (State Key Laboratory of Multi-Organ Injury Prevention and Treatment, and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research), Southern Medical University, No. 1023, South Shatai Road, Baiyun District, Guangzhou, 510515, China. zhoujy@smu.edu.cn.

Funding

Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation 2023A1515011242Hainan Province Science and Technology Special Fund ZDYF2025SHFZ046National Natural Science Foundation of China 82173619
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundGreen space may have a wide range of beneficial health effects, but its association with preterm birth (PTB) remains inconclusive. Therefore, our study aims to investigate the effect of green space and its joint effect with particulate matter (PM) on PTB. Additionally, we seek to identify its critical susceptibility window.

methodsThis retrospective study included 5,240,828 pregnant women in Guangdong Province from 2014 to 2018. Due to clustering among pregnant women, generalized estimating equations were used to examine the effects of green space and its joint effect with PM pollution on PTB, by using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the fraction vegetation coverage (FVC) within 500 m and 1,000 m.

resultsGreen space can effectively reduce PTB risk, particularly in the first trimester. The odds ratio for PTB associated with NDVI throughout the pregnancy was 0.80 (95% CI: 0.70, 0.92) within 500 m and 0.81 (95% CI: 0.70, 0.93) within 1,000 m. When accounting for joint effects, high green space combined with low PM levels had the strongest protective effect, especially in the third trimester. On the other hand, the association between the FVC and PTB was similar to that between the NDVI and PTB. Additionally, green space helped mitigate PTB risk even in the areas with higher PM concentrations.

conclusionsOur finding enables us to create targeted approaches to increase exposure to green space during pregnancy. Furthermore, green spaces should be considered a beneficial factor in the decision-making process.

Indexed as

Environmental ExposureMaternal ExposureParks, RecreationalParticulate MatterPremature BirthAdultChinaFemaleHumansPregnancyRetrospective StudiesParticulate MatterCritical windowGreen spaceJoint effectParticulate matterPreterm birth

Identifiers

PMID40316971
PMCPMC12046842

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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.