ArticleThe journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences2023
A Longitudinal Analysis of the Association Between Long-Term Exposure to Air Pollution and Cognitive Function Among Adults Aged 45 and Older in China.
Article in The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The association between air pollution and cognitive impairment: a systematic review and meta- analysis of global studies.BMC public health · 2025Pooled it
- A critical review of potential modifiers of air pollutant associations with dementia and related outcomes.Neurotoxicology · 2026Review
- Impact of air pollution on mental health in bangladesh: a comparison between Dhaka and Rajshahi.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Associations of PMThe Journal of international medical research · 2026Article
- Ambient ammonium exposure is associated with physical dysfunction in older adults in China.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Cognitive Performance and Long-term Exposure to Outdoor Air Pollution: Findings From the Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol Substudy of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA-HCAP).The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2025Article
- Association of long-term exposure to air pollutants with benign prostatic hyperplasia among middle-aged and older men in China.International archives of occupational and environmental health · 2025Article
- Study on the age-period-cohort effects of cognitive abilities among older Chinese adults based on the cognitive reserve hypothesis.BMC geriatrics · 2024Article
- Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution with sarcopenia among middle-aged and older adults in China.The journal of nutrition, health & aging · 2024Article
- Frailty, cognitive impairment, and depressive symptoms in Chinese older adults: an eight-year multi-trajectory analysis.BMC geriatrics · 2023Article
- Rural-Urban Disparities in Multimorbidity Associated With Climate Change and Air Pollution: A Longitudinal Analysis Among Chinese Adults Aged 45.Innovation in aging · 2023Article
- Climate Projections Indicate Catastrophic Consequences in the Middle East and North Africa Region: Why healthcare workers are conspicuously absent in climate change discourse.Sultan Qaboos University medical journal · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesEvidence suggests long-term exposure to fine particulate matter air pollution (PM2.5) is associated with a higher risk of cognitive impairment, especially among older adults. This study examines the relationship between PM2.5 exposure and cognitive function in China's aging population.
methodsWe used longitudinal data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2011-2015) linked with historical PM2.5 concentrations (2000-2015) from remotely sensed satellite data. Growth curve models were applied to estimate associations between PM2.5 exposure (measured in intensity, duration, and a joint variable of intensity with duration for cumulative exposure) and cognitive function.
resultsRelative to the lowest exposure group, exposure in the second group of PM2.5 intensity (35-50 μg/m3) is associated with poorer cognitive function, but higher levels of PM2.5 appear to be associated with better cognitive function, indicating a U-shaped association. Similar patterns are seen for fully adjusted models of PM2.5 duration: the second group (13-60 months) is associated with worse cognitive function than the first group (0-12 months), but coefficients are nonsignificant in longer duration groups. Joint analysis of PM2.5 intensity with duration suggests that duration may play a more detrimental role in cognitive function than intensity. However, we do not find a statistically significant association between PM2.5 exposure and the rate of cognitive decline. DISCUSSION: Our findings are mixed and suggest that some categories of higher and longer exposure to PM2.5 are associated with poorer cognitive function, while that exposures do not hasten cognitive decline. However, more work is necessary to disentangle PM2.5 exposure from individuals' background characteristics, particularly those jointly associated with cognitive function and urban living.
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