Exposure to oil pollution and maternal outcomes: The Niger Delta prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: Maternal exposure to oil pollution is an important public health concern. However, there is a dearth of literature on the effects of maternal exposure to oil pollution on maternal outcomes in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. This study was therefore designed to determine the effect of maternal exposure to oil pollution on maternal outcomes in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. METHODS: Prospective cohort study design involving 1720 pregnant women followed from pregnancy to delivery was conducted. The participants were 18–45 years old at a gestational age of less than 17 weeks, who attended randomly selected health facilities in the areas with high exposure and low exposure to oil pollution in the Niger Delta, Nigeria. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire and review of medical records from April 2018 to April 2019. Multivariate log-binomial model was used to examine the effect of maternal exposure to oil pollution on the risk of adverse maternal outcomes adjusting for sociodemographic, maternal and lifestyle characteristics. RESULTS: A total of 1418 women completed the follow-up and were included in the analysis. Women in high exposure areas had a higher incidence of premature rupture of membrane (PROM), caesarean section (CS) and postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) compared to women in areas with low exposure to oil pollution. After adjusting for cofounders, women in high exposure areas also had a higher risk of PROM (ARR = 1.96; 95% CI: 1.24–3.10) and PPH (ARR = 2.12; 95% CI: 1.28–3.36) in Model I–III when compared to women in areas with low exposure to oil pollution. However, pregnancy-induced hypertension and CS had no association with maternal exposure area status to oil pollution. CONCLUSION: Women in high exposure areas are at a higher risk of PROM and PPH. This calls for policies and intervention toward reducing maternal exposure to oil pollution in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.