Parental preconception exposure to residential outdoor neighbourhood environments and adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes: a scoping review
1 Deakin Lifespan Institute, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong 3220, Australia
2 Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Australia
3 Population Health Theme, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Parkville 3052, Australia
4 Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3052, Australia
5 Mercy Hospital for Women, Heidelberg 3084, Victoria
6 Climate Air Quality Research Unit, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne 3004, Australia
7 SLR Consulting Australia, East Melbourne 3002, Australia
8 Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Australia
9 Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville 3050, Australia
10 Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Australia
11 Melbourne Medical School, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Australia
12 Department of Maternal Fetal Medicine, The Royal Women’s Hospital, Parkville 3052, Australia
13 Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
14 The Institute for Innovation in Physical and Mental Health and Clinical Translation, Deakin University, Geelong 3216, Australia
15 Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital, Parkville 3052, Australia
16 Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue H9X 3V9, Canada
  • Volume
  • Citation
    Wang Y, Marzan M, Yang Z, Crowe M, Moslehi M, et al. Parental preconception exposure to residential outdoor neighbourhood environments and adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes: a scoping review. Int. J. Environ. Epidemiol. 2026(1):0005, https://doi.org/10.55092/ijee20260005. 
  • DOI
    10.55092/ijee20260005
  • Copyright
    Copyright2026 by the authors. Published by ELSP.
Abstract

Background: Preconception exposure to residential outdoor neighbourhood environments can influence perinatal outcomes by influencing fertility, gamete quality and foetal development through mechanisms such as oxidative stress, epigenetics and inflammation. Following our published protocol, this scoping review aims to synthesize the available evidence and identify gaps in the current understanding of this topic. Methods: We searched four databases (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Ovid Medline, Ovid Embase and Scopus) for peer-reviewed publications on 20 December 2023. The search was restricted to English, without other restrictions. Two reviewers independently screened titles, abstracts and full texts. Findings were narratively synthesised. Results: We identified 82 eligible studies since 2010, all but one from upper-middle-or high-income countries. The largest proportion (43%) comprised retrospective cohort studies, with number of studies published since 2020 trending upwards. Although preconception was usually defined as the three months before pregnancy, most studies assigned these exposures using pregnancy or birth addresses, assuming residential stability since preconception. Among included studies, exposure to PM2.5 was associated with an increased risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), while PM10 was linked to birth defects. However, most exposure-outcome associations were inconsistent across included studies. The literature suggested the strongest consistency for PM10-birth defects associations, while evidence for O3-GDM associations was inconclusive. Research on other outdoor environmental factors, such as noise, light pollution, weather, built and natural environments, was lacking. Conclusions: Our review found that the existing evidence base is geographically skewed, concentrated on air pollution exposures, and notably lacking in research on paternal exposures. To advance the field, future studies should adopt more precise exposure assessments and expand the range of environmental factors, geographical diversity, and paternal exposure research.

Keywords

preconception; outdoor environments; neighbourhood; pregnancy and birth outcomes; perinatal; scoping review

Preview