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Preterm Birth During an Extreme Weather Event in Québec, Canada: A “Natural Experiment”

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Abstract

To clarify the relationship between preterm birth (PTB) and extreme weather events, we evaluated PTB during a January 1998 ice storm that had led to a provincial emergency in the middle of winter in the province of Québec, Canada. Singleton live births for three periods (1993–1997, 1998, 1999–2003) were obtained (N = 855,320). PTB was defined as gestational age <37 completed weeks. Births in the Triangle of Darkness, the area most strongly affect by the storm, were geocoded. Multivariate logistic regression was used to calculate the likelihood of PTB for the Triangle relative to metropolitan Montréal, adjusting for maternal age, education, civil status, maternal birthplace, and previous deliveries. Associations for 1998 relative to other periods were evaluated. Short-term (January–February) and long-term (March–October) exposure periods were examined. The proportion PTB for 1998 January–February births in the Triangle (8.7%) was high compared with 1998 March–October births (6.0%) and with the corresponding proportions for 1993–1997 (6.2%) and 1999–2003 (6.9%). Covariate-adjusted odds of PTB for January–February 1998 were 27% higher for the Triangle relative to metropolitan Montréal, though precision was low. Furthermore, adjusted odds were 28% higher for 1998 relative to 1999–2003, despite increasing rates of PTB over time. Odds were not elevated over a long-term exposure period. This study suggests a weak association between PTB and exposure to extreme weather for the two months following an ice storm, but not for later periods after the storm.

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Acknowledgments

This study was not funded by an external source.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut national de santé publique du Québec, 190, boulevard Crémazie Est, Montréal, QC, H2P 1E2, Canada

    Nathalie Auger & Marc Goneau

  2. Research Centre of the University of Montréal Hospital Centre, 3875 rue Saint-Urbain, Montréal, QC, H2W-1V1, Canada

    Nathalie Auger & Mark Daniel

  3. Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Montréal, C.P. 6128, succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, QC, H3C-3J7, Canada

    Nathalie Auger & Mark Daniel

  4. Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Montréal, C.P. 6128, succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, QC, H3C-3J7, Canada

    Erica Kuehne

  5. School of Health Sciences, University of South Australia, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide, SA, 5001, Australia

    Mark Daniel

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  1. Nathalie Auger
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Correspondence to Nathalie Auger.

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Auger, N., Kuehne, E., Goneau, M. et al. Preterm Birth During an Extreme Weather Event in Québec, Canada: A “Natural Experiment”. Matern Child Health J 15, 1088–1096 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-010-0645-0

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