The association between city-level air pollution and frailty among the elderly population in China

Kai Hu*, Katherine Keenan, Jo Mhairi Hale, Tobias Borger

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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.
Original languageEnglish
Article number102362
JournalHealth & Place
Volume64
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jul 2020

Keywords

  • Air pollutiion
  • Frailty
  • Elderly people
  • China
  • CLHLS

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