Quispe-Haro, Consuelo;
Szabó, Daniel;
Kordas, Katarzyna;
Capkova, Nadezda;
Pikhart, Hynek;
Bobak, Martin;
(2024)
The mediating role of air pollutants in the association between education and lung function among the elderly, the HAPIEE study.
Science of The Total Environment
, Article 174556. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174556.
Preview |
Text
Pikhart_1-s2.0-S0048969724047041-main.pdf Download (752kB) | Preview |
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Chronic exposure to air pollutants harms human health, and at a geographical level, concentrations of air pollutants are often associated with socioeconomic disadvantage. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of educational attainment and air pollution on lung function in older adults, and whether air pollution may mediate the effect of education. METHODS: The study included 6381 individuals (mean age 58.24 ± 7.14 years) who participated in the Czech HAPPIE (Health, Alcohol, and Psychosocial Factors in Eastern Europe) study. Participants' residential addresses were linked to air pollution data, including mean exposures to PM10 (particulate matter of aerodynamic diameter below 10 μm) and NO2 (nitrogen dioxide). We used path analysis to link educational attainment and air pollutants to a standardized measure of the Forced Expiratory Volume in the first second (FEV1). RESULTS: Higher levels of participants' education were associated with lower exposures to PM10 and NO2. Individuals with tertiary education had higher standardized FEV1 than individuals with primary education (88 % vs 95 %). Path analysis revealed a direct positive effect of education on FEV1, while about 12 % of the relationship between education and lung function was mediated by PM10 and NO2. CONCLUSIONS: Education (typically completed at young ages) appeared to have a protective effect on lung function later in life, and a small part of this effect was mediated by air pollution.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | The mediating role of air pollutants in the association between education and lung function among the elderly, the HAPIEE study |
| Location: | Netherlands |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174556 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174556 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third-party material in this article are included in the Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Keywords: | Air pollution, Environmental health, Lung function, Respiratory health, Socioeconomic factors |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health > Epidemiology and Public Health |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10194508 |
Archive Staff Only
 |
View Item |
