The association between city-level air pollution and frailty among the elderly population in China
Abstract
A growing body of research suggests that air pollution negatively affects specific health outcomes, but how long- and short-term exposure to air pollution are associated with frailty is unclear. Using longitudinal data from adults aged 65 and over from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) linked with air quality index data, we model a frailty score according to the city-level of air pollution exposure, adjusting for individual socio-demographic factors and city-level indicators. All models show increased frailty with higher exposure to air pollution in one year prior to the interview, when controlling for short-term fluctuations. Moreover, elderly people living in areas where air pollution increased over the follow-up had larger increases in frailty scores than those where air pollution was relatively constant. The results suggest that air pollution plays a role in healthy ageing.
Citation
Hu , K , Keenan , K , Hale , J M & Borger , T 2020 , ' The association between city-level air pollution and frailty among the elderly population in China ' , Health & Place , vol. 64 , 102362 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2020.102362
Publication
Health & Place
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
1353-8292Type
Journal article
Rights
Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This work has been made available online in accordance with publisher policies or with permission. Permission for further reuse of this content should be sought from the publisher or the rights holder. This is the author created accepted manuscript following peer review and may differ slightly from the final published version. The final published version of this work is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2020.102362
Description
This study is supported by China Scholarship Council (CSC), People's Republic of China and Population and Health Research Group, School of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St Andrews, United Kingdom.Collections
Items in the St Andrews Research Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.