Maternal Prenatal Exposure To Phthalate And Child Motor Proficiency At 11 Years Of Age

Background Prior studies report inverse associations between maternal prenatal phthalate exposure and motor development in infants and toddlers. Whether these associations persist into preadolescence is unknown. Methods In a follow up study of 173 inner-city mothers and their children, mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP), monobenzyl phthalate (MBzP), monoisobutyl phthalate (MiBP), and four di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate metabolites (ΣDEHP) were measured in maternal third-trimester urine samples. The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency 2nd edition, Short Form, was individually administered at age 11 years to assess child motor function. Gross and fine motor composite scores were summed to yield a total composite score measuring general motor proficiency. Linear regression was used to estimate the relationship between phthalate exposure and motor skills. We controlled for specific gravity, ethnicity, child sex, child age at administration, maternal prenatal alcohol consumption, and child standardized body ma...