# Maternal and Developmental Risks from Environmental and Social Stressors (MADRES)

> **NIH NIH P50** · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · 2023 · $620,622

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The global population is experiencing unprecedented rates of extreme weather events, elevated temperatures,
and natural disasters due to climate change, which in turn are compounding effects of environmental exposures
in already vulnerable communities, increasing susceptibility, and widening existing health disparities. Mounting
evidence suggests that extreme temperatures and heat stress may broadly influence cardiometabolic and mental
health outcomes yet, the mechanisms are not well understood. Increasingly, evidence suggests that pregnancy
is a vulnerable window of exposure to environmental insults for later maternal health effects. Similarly, pregnant
people are considered among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change and heat stress, as are
socially disadvantaged and historically marginalized populations. However, the short and long-term effects of
exposure to climate-induced extreme temperatures and heat stress during pregnancy on maternal
cardiometabolic and mental health outcomes have not been investigated in depth. We hypothesize that prenatal
exposure to heat stress is associated with greater maternal cardiometabolic complications and depressive
symptoms both during and after pregnancy. We propose to examine this hypothesis and the following specific
aims in 412 maternal participants in the MADRES cohort—a cohort of predominantly low-income Hispanic
participants in Los Angeles. Aim 1 will examine whether prenatal exposure to heat stress (wet bulb globe
temperature, WGBT) is associated with maternal cardiometabolic pregnancy complications (e.g., gestational
hypertension, preeclampsia) and postpartum cardiometabolic health indices (blood pressure, lipid profiles,
HbA1c, BMI, waist-to-hip ratio); Aim 2 will examine whether prenatal exposure to heat stress (WGBT) is
associated with maternal depression during pregnancy and postpartum depressive symptoms using the Center
for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) Scale. Aim 3 will explore whether heat shock proteins (HSPs)
are potentially useful biomarkers of heat exposure and biological adaptation to heat stress in early and late
pregnancy. Findings from this study will help inform planning efforts and policies aimed at mitigating the impacts
of extreme heat in urban areas.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10837518
- **Project number:** 3P50MD015705-09S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Theresa M Bastain
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $620,622
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2015-09-01 → 2025-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10837518

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10837518, Maternal and Developmental Risks from Environmental and Social Stressors (MADRES) (3P50MD015705-09S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10837518. Licensed CC0.

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