# Maternal and Paternal Preconception Environmental Exposures and Children's Health

> **NIH NIH R01** · HARVARD UNIVERSITY D/B/A HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH · 2020 · $569,853

## Abstract

Abstract
Childhood obesity, cardiometabolic abnormalities, and neurodevelopmental disorders are prevalent, impact
the health and well-being of children and their families, and have substantial financial costs. Research
demonstrates that early life environmental exposures increase the risk of these disorders. While there has
been justifiable emphasis on studying environmental exposures during gestation and early childhood, there is
limited epidemiologic data on the impact of maternal preconception exposures on children’s health and even
less research on the effect of paternal preconception exposures. Experimental studies in animals provide
compelling data showing that maternal and paternal preconception exposures to stress and altered diet affect
offspring phenotypes through heritable epigenetic modifications encoded in gametes. Despite support for the
scientific premise that preconception environmental exposures have the potential to affect children’s health,
there is an almost complete lack of human studies. Endocrine disrupting chemicals are of particular concern
because they disrupt hormonal signaling and alter epigenetic programming of gametes and embryos, which in
turn may adversely affect child health. One class of chemicals of high concern is phthalates, multifunctional
chemicals used in many consumer products and for which there is ubiquitous general population exposure.
Our multidisciplinary team of investigators proposes a new study of children who were born to couples who
participated in our ongoing prospective preconception cohort study. We previously analyzed multiple urine
samples for phthalate metabolites from mothers and fathers before conception and from women during
pregnancy. In this proposal, we will conduct in-person visits on 381 eligible children (7-10 years of age) and
collect detailed measures of child neurobehavior, anthropometry, and cardiometabolic function. We have
collected or will collect extensive maternal, paternal, and child-level covariate data, including diet, SES,
medical history, caregiving environment, and physical/sedentary activity. Our specific aims are to determine
the extent to which maternal and paternal preconception phthalate exposures are individually and/or jointly
associated with: 1) increased behavior problems, poorer executive function, and reduced cognitive abilities, 2)
increased adiposity and reduced satiety, 3) impaired glucose and insulin homeostasis, increased blood
pressure, and altered serum lipids. Our innovative proposed study represents a unique opportunity to
determine if maternal and paternal pre-conception phthalate exposure affects children’s health, while also
controlling for prenatal and childhood phthalate exposure. Other innovations include the availability of multiple
maternal and paternal preconception urine samples to assess phthalate exposure, state of the art assessment
of child health outcomes, and use of novel statistical approaches to study phthalate mixtures and windo...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9839376
- **Project number:** 5R01ES027408-03
- **Recipient organization:** HARVARD UNIVERSITY D/B/A HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
- **Principal Investigator:** Joseph M Braun
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $569,853
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-01-01 → 2022-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9839376

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9839376, Maternal and Paternal Preconception Environmental Exposures and Children's Health (5R01ES027408-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9839376. Licensed CC0.

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