Haley B. Ragsdale, Margaret S. Butler, Stephanie M. Koning, Isabelita N. Bas, Thomas W. McDade
Objectives: Maternal socioeconomic status (SES) is an important predictor of adverse birth outcomes and postnatal health across global populations. Chronic inflammation is implicated in cardiometabolic disease risk in high-income contexts and is a potential pathway linking maternal adversity to offspring health trajectories. To clarify how socioeconomic inequality shapes pregnancy inflammation in middle-income settings, we investigated SES as a predictor of inflammatory cytokines in late gestation in a sample from the Cebu Longitudinal Health Nutrition Survey in Cebu, Philippines. Methods: We used multiple regression to evaluate maternal SES, reflected in household assets, as a predictor of general inflammation (C-reactive protein), inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-6, interleukin-10), and inflammatory balance (n = 407). Inflammatory markers were measured at 29.9 weeks gestation in dried blood spots, and a measure reflecting relative balance of IL6 and IL10 was calculated to capture pro- versus anti-inflammatory skewed immune profiles. Results: Greater household assets significantly predicted lower IL6 concentration (p < 0.001), with a trend toward lower IL6 relative to IL10 (p = 0.084). C-reactive protein and IL10 were not individually related to SES. Conclusions: The inverse relationship between SES and pregnancy inflammation in Cebu is consistent with results from high-income settings. These findings further highlight the influence of socioeconomic conditions on immune regulation during pregnancy. Given the evidence that gestational inflammation impacts offspring fetal growth, our results suggest that social and economic effects on immune function may be an important pathway for the intergenerational transmission of health disparities. © 2024 The Author(s). American Journal of Human Biology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States; Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health, Division of Community Health Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States; School of Public Health, University of Nevada, NV, United States; Office of Population Studies Foundation Inc., University of San Carlos, Cebu, Philippines; Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States; Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
