Environmental lead exposure and socio-behavioural adjustment in the early teens: The birth to twenty cohort

Lead exposure remains high in South Africa. Environmental lead exposure has been associated with behaviour problems in childhood and adolescence. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between blood lead levels and socio-behavioural problems among young adolescents in the Birt...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Science of the total environment 2012-01, Vol.414, p.120-125
Main Authors: Naicker, Nisha, Richter, Linda, Mathee, Angela, Becker, Piet, Norris, Shane A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescence
Adolescent
Aggression
Aggressive behaviour
Environmental Exposure
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Lead - blood
Lead exposure
Male
Multivariate Analysis
Prospective Studies
Regression Analysis
Sex Factors
Social Behavior
Socio-behavioural problems
South Africa
Youth Self Report
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Summary:Lead exposure remains high in South Africa. Environmental lead exposure has been associated with behaviour problems in childhood and adolescence. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between blood lead levels and socio-behavioural problems among young adolescents in the Birth to Twenty cohort (Bt20). The uniquely South African Bt20 cohort started in 1989 and is a long-term prospective follow-up study of the health and well-being of children born in the Greater Johannesburg area. The total analytical sample size consisted of 1041 adolescents (487 males and 554 females). Blood lead levels were obtained from whole venous blood that was collected. Thirty two items representing Rule-breaking and Aggressive behavioural characteristics from the Youth Self Report (YSR) were assessed. Bivariate and multiple regression analyses were conducted to assess for associations between blood lead levels and socio-behavioural problems at 13years of age. The geometric mean blood lead level was significantly (P value
ISSN:0048-9697
1879-1026
DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2011.11.013