Characterizing changes in behaviors associated with chemical exposures during the COVID-19 pandemic

Bennett, Deborah H.; Herbstman, Julie B.; Romano, Megan E.; Li, Xiuhong; Jacobson, Lisa P.; Margolis, Amy E.; Hamra, Ghassan B.; Braun, Joseph M.; Buckley, Jessie P.; Colburn, Trina; Deoni, Sean; Hoepner, Lori A.; Morello-Frosch, Rachel; Riley, Kylie Wheelock; Sathyanarayana, Sheela; Schantz, Susan L.; Trasande, Leonardo; Woodruff, Tracey J.; Perera, Frederica P.; Karagas, Margaret R.

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0277679

Research ArticleOpen Access

Characterizing changes in behaviors associated with chemical exposures during the COVID-19 pandemic

Deborah H. Bennett¹, Julie B. Herbstman²^*, Megan E. Romano³, Xiuhong Li⁴, Lisa P. Jacobson⁴, Amy E. Margolis⁵, Ghassan B. Hamra⁴, Joseph M. Braun⁶, Jessie P. Buckley⁷, Trina Colburn⁸, Sean Deoni⁹, Lori A. Hoepner¹⁰, Rachel Morello-Frosch¹¹, Kylie Wheelock Riley¹², Sheela Sathyanarayana¹³, Susan L. Schantz¹⁴, Leonardo Trasande¹⁵, Tracey J. Woodruff¹⁶, Frederica P. Perera², Margaret R. Karagas³

¹Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California—Davis, Davis, CA, United States of America

²Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, United States of America

³Department of Epidemiology, Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, NH, United States of America

⁴Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States of America

⁵Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States of America

⁶Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, United States of America

⁷Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States of America

⁸Department of Child Health, Behavior, and Development, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle, WA, United States of America

⁹Department of Pediatrics, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, United States of America

¹⁰Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University School of Public Health, New York, NY, United States of America

¹¹Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of California—Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States of America

¹²Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Health, New York, NY, United States of America

¹³Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA, United States of America

¹⁴Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois—Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States of America

¹⁵Departments of Pediatrics and Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States of America

¹⁶Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA, United States of America

* Correspondence: jh2678@cumc.columbia.edu

PLOS ONE — Volume 18, Issue 1 (2023-01)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic—and its associated restrictions—have changed many behaviors that can influence environmental exposures including chemicals found in commercial products, packaging and those resulting from pollution. The pandemic also constitutes a stressful life event, leading to symptoms of acute traumatic stress. Data indicate that the combination of environmental exposure and psychological stress jointly contribute to adverse child health outcomes. Within the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO)-wide Cohort, a national consortium initiated to understand the effects of environmental exposures on child health and development, our objective was to assess whether there were pandemic-related changes in behavior that may be associated with environmental exposures. A total of 1535 participants from nine cohorts completed a survey via RedCap from December 2020 through May 2021. The questionnaire identified behavioral changes associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in expected directions, providing evidence of construct validity. Behavior changes reported by at least a quarter of the respondents include eating less fast food and using fewer ultra-processed foods, hair products, and cosmetics. At least a quarter of respondents reported eating more home cooked meals and using more antibacterial soaps, liquid soaps, hand sanitizers, antibacterial and bleach cleaners. Most frequent predictors of behavior change included Hispanic ethnicity and older age (35 years and older). Respondents experiencing greater COVID-related stress altered their behaviors more than those not reporting stress. These findings highlight that behavior change associated with the pandemic, and pandemic-related psychological stress often co-occur. Thus, prevention strategies and campaigns that limit environmental exposures, support stress reduction, and facilitate behavioral change may lead to the largest health benefits in the context of a pandemic. Analyzing biomarker data in these participants will be helpful to determine if behavior changes reported associate with measured changes in exposure.

Cite This Article

Bennett, D., Herbstman, J., Romano, M., Li, X., Jacobson, L., Margolis, A., Hamra, G., Braun, J., Buckley, J., Colburn, T., Deoni, S., Hoepner, L., Morello-Frosch, R., Riley, K., Sathyanarayana, S., Schantz, S., Trasande, L., Woodruff, T., Perera, F., Karagas, M. (2023). Characterizing changes in behaviors associated with chemical exposures during the COVID-19 pandemic. PLOS ONE, 18(1), online. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0277679

Characterizing changes in behaviors associated with chemical exposures during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Cite This Article

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