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Exposure to Insecticides and Child Growth and Pubertal Development in a South African Population Exposed Through Indoor Residual Spraying

Award Number: R01ES030411
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 11/22/2019
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 10/31/2026

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Exposure to Insecticides and Child Growth and Pubertal Development in a South African Population Exposed Through Indoor Residual Spraying - 7. PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Since 1980, the global prevalence of overweight and obesity increased by 27.5% in adults and by 47.1% in children. Although rates appear to have tapered off over recent years in many developed countries, steady increases continue to be reported in developing countries, most particularly in Africa. Between 1990 and 2010, the number of overweight and obese children doubled in Africa and in 2017, the highest prevalence of overweight and obesity among young children was found in the Southern Africa U.N region. In South Africa’s Vhembe district, the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity increased by a factor of 2.7 between 2008 and 2015, reaching 40%. Concomitantly, earlier onset of puberty has been observed globally and it has been suggested that increasing trends in obesity prevalence may play a role. Although changes in diet and physical activity likely influence these trends, growing evidence suggests that exposure to chemicals that disrupt endocrine function may be a factor. A total of 88 countries practice Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS), the use insecticides on the interior walls of residences to control malaria, resulting in high exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane (DDT) and pyrethroids. DDT, a known environmental estrogen, increases body fat and advances puberty in female rodents while DDT’s breakdown product dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethylene (DDE), an antiandrogen, delays puberty in males. Few human studies have investigated associations between DDT exposure and body composition or pubertal onset but studies of DDE found relations with delayed puberty in boys and our preliminary studies suggest that DDE is obesogenic in South African girls. Animal studies show that pyrethroids, which are androgenic, delay puberty onset in females and accelerate puberty in males but this question has only been studied by one group in China. To our knowledge, no study has investigated the impact of exposure to DDT or pyrethroids on body composition, pubertal onset or endocrine function in peripubertal African children. We propose to address these important knowledge gaps by extending a unique birth cohort study of rural South African children with extensive data on health, exposure and confounders, rich research infrastructure and strong community networks. We aim to identify the levels and determinants of exposure to DDT/E and pyrethroids among children aged 7 to 10 and determine whether pre- and postnatal exposure to these insecticides is associated with: 1) altered body composition, 2) puberty timing and tempo, and 3) hormone levels. This study will provide policy-makers with data to better understand the determinants of the dramatic rise in obesity and the acceleration of puberty in South Africa and other developing countries. It will also provide essential information on the potential unintended consequences of IRS to malaria-endemic countries and international bodies so that they can determine the safest and most sustainable methods to control malaria.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2026	2025	THE ROYAL INSTITUTION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING	845 ST SHERBROOKE W	MONTREAL	QC			CAN	Environmental Health	000	5	1/28/2026	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $398,105 )
2025	2025	THE ROYAL INSTITUTION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING	845 ST SHERBROOKE W	MONTREAL	QC			CAN	Environmental Health	000	5	11/1/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$398,105
														Subtotal = $398,105

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $411,445 )
2024	2024	ROYAL INSTITUTION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING / MCGILL	845 RUE SHERBROOKE O	MONTREAL	PQ			CAN	Environmental Health	000	4	10/31/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$411,445
														Subtotal = $411,445

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $422,356 )
2023	2023	ROYAL INSTITUTION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING / MCGILL	845 RUE SHERBROOKE O	MONTREAL	PQ			CAN	Environmental Health	000	3	11/9/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$422,356
														Subtotal = $422,356

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $431,866 )
2022	2022	ROYAL INSTITUTION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING / MCGILL	845 RUE SHERBROOKE O	MONTREAL	PQ			CAN	Environmental Health	000	2	10/21/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$431,866
														Subtotal = $431,866

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2021	2020	ROYAL INSTITUTION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING / MCGILL	845 RUE SHERBROOKE O	MONTREAL	PQ			CAN	Environmental Health	000	1	11/17/2020	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $441,488 )
2020	2020	ROYAL INSTITUTION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING / MCGILL	845 RUE SHERBROOKE O	MONTREAL	PQ	H3A 0G4		CAN	Environmental Health	001	1	5/1/2020	NEW	$0
2020	2020	ROYAL INSTITUTION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING / MCGILL	845 RUE SHERBROOKE O	MONTREAL	PQ	H3A 0G4		CAN	Environmental Health	000	1	11/22/2019	NEW	$441,488
														Subtotal = $441,488

Grand Total All Awards = $2,105,260

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Exposure to Insecticides and Child Growth and Pubertal Development in a South African Population Exposed Through Indoor Residual Spraying

Award Number: R01ES030411

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 11/22/2019

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 10/31/2026

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