Racial and ethnic disparities in chronic disease risk in adolescence after prenatal polydrug exposure: Examination of the Hispanic paradox.

Racial disparities exist in fetal development which in turn can influence growth and development of chronic disease later in life. The purpose of this study was to explore potential racial and ethnic differences in chronic disease risk factors throughout the pediatric years given prenatal exposure to substance use. Data from the Maternal Lifestyle Study cohort was used for this analysis. Urine toxicology confirmed maternal substance use (y/n) and offspring height, weight, and systolic blood pressure (SBP) data at 16 years was analyzed. Linear mixed effects modeling with an interaction term for adolescent race/ethnicity and maternal drug use assessed growth trajectories (body mass index (BMI) percentile) and cardiovascular disease risk factors (elevated SBP). Of the sample ( n  = 1,388 mother/infant dyads), 23% ( n  = 319) of mothers used three substances during pregnancy and 14% (n = 200) used four or five. Controlling for BMI, Hispanic adolescents prenatally exposed to any singular substance had 13 mmHg higher SBP at age 16 than their unexposed counterparts (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 12.24, 14.01). Prenatal exposure to >1 substance significantly lowered SBP in Hispanic adolescents only. Results here showed that Hispanic adolescents exposed to singular substance are at higher risk of elevated SBP in adolescence, but SBP decreased when exposed to >1 substance. The Hispanic paradox may play a role; future studies should continue to explore this. Additionally, barriers to prenatal care for Hispanic women should be addressed in order to prevent substance use during pregnancy which can reduce chronic disease risk in offspring adolescence.