Neonatology Fellow Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Bethesda, Maryland, United States
Background: The aviation occupational environment may expose a developing fetus to intermittent hypoxia, high gravitational force, toxic materials, loud noise, high frequency vibrations, and cosmic radiation. Exposure to these conditions in animal models is associated with adverse neonatal outcomes. Objective: To investigate whether a maternal military aviation career was associated with adverse neonatal health outcomes. Design/Methods: This study has been approved by the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Institutional Review Board. We performed a retrospective cohort study of female officer’s children born in the Military Health System (MHS) from October 2002 to December 2019. Female fixed-wing aviation officers were identified by the presence of an aviation occupation code prior to birth. Adverse neonatal outcomes were identified by ICD-10 codes in inpatient medical records. Binomial regression will used to estimate the adjusted relative risk (aRR) of neonatal health outcomes. A post hoc power analysis will be performed. Data collection and analysis will be complete in November 2023.
