University of Talca launches study on environmental impacts on newborns

The University of Talca has launched the Gestational Epidemiology Cohort Study (Epigest-Talca) to investigate how environmental factors, such as heat waves, low temperatures, and air pollution, affect newborns. Led by researcher María Elisa Quinteros Cáceres, the three-year public health initiative aims to track 1,000 women from the beginning to the end of their pregnancies.

The study focuses on the “exposome,” or the total set of environmental exposures that may influence a person's predisposition to illness. Researchers hypothesize that higher exposure to these emissions increases the risk of negative perinatal outcomes, including premature birth, low birth weight, or small size for gestational age.

Data collection involves installing low-cost sensors in the homes of pregnant women to measure temperature and air pollution. The project also includes training primary healthcare workers to support the study's implementation.