Summary: | Fine particulate matter (PM<sub>2.5</sub>) potentiates in utero oxidative stress influencing fetal development while antioxidants have potential protective effects. We examined associations among prenatal PM<sub>2.5</sub>, maternal antioxidant intake, and childhood wheeze in an urban pregnancy cohort (<i>n</i> = 530). Daily PM<sub>2.5</sub> exposure over gestation was estimated using a satellite-based spatiotemporally resolved model. Mothers completed the modified Block98 food frequency questionnaire. Average energy-adjusted percentile intake of β-carotene, vitamins (A, C, E), and trace minerals (zinc, magnesium, selenium) constituted an antioxidant index (AI). Maternal-reported child wheeze was ascertained up to 4.1 ± 2.8 years. Bayesian distributed lag interaction models (BDLIMs) were used to examine time-varying associations between prenatal PM<sub>2.5</sub> and repeated wheeze (≥2 episodes) and effect modification by AI, race/ethnicity, and child sex. Covariates included maternal age, education, asthma, and temperature. Women were 39% Black and 33% Hispanic, 36% with ≤high school education; 21% of children had repeated wheeze. Higher AI was associated with decreased wheeze in Blacks (OR = 0.37 (0.19–0.73), per IQR increase). BDLIMs identified a sensitive window for PM<sub>2.5</sub> effects on wheeze among boys born to Black mothers with low AI (at 33–40 weeks gestation; OR = 1.74 (1.19–2.54), per µg/m<sup>3</sup> increase in PM<sub>2.5</sub>). Relationships among prenatal PM<sub>2.5</sub>, antioxidant intake, and child wheeze were modified by race/ethnicity and sex.
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