ArticleBMC geriatrics2023
Correlation between air pollution and cognitive impairment among older individuals: empirical evidence from China.
Article in BMC geriatrics, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Effect of air pollutants particulate matter (PMScientific reports · 2024Pooled it
- Impacts of contemporaneous air pollution exposure on cognitive performance in Kenya.Journal of health economics · 2026Article
- The effect of air pollution on catastrophic health expenditure among middle-aged and older adults in China.PloS one · 2026Article
- A multidimensional narrative review of the association between air pollution and late-life depression risk.Frontiers in public health · 2026Review
- The Yin-Yang of sulfur dioxide: Effect on cognitive function.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2025Review
- Interaction effects of exposure to air pollution and social activities on cognitive function in middle-aged and older Chinese adults based on a nationwide cohort study.BMC public health · 2024Article
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2 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundLittle information is available regarding the impact of air pollution on cognitive impairment in older individuals in developing countries. This study empirically tested the impacts of the air quality index (AQI), air pollution intensity (quantified by the number of days of extreme air pollution in a year), and different pollutants on the cognitive abilities of older Chinese individuals.
methodsA panel of 28,395 participants spanning 122 cities in 2015 and 2018 was used, based on 3-year follow-up survey data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) database. Data from the two phases of the CHARLS microsurvey were combined with relevant statistical data on air pollution in each region in the current year. These two surveys were used to investigate changes in basic health and macro-environmental indicators in older individuals in China, and a mean difference test was conducted. We then reduced the sample selection error by controlling for environmental migration and used two-way fixed and instrumental variable methods for endogenous treatment to avoid the estimation error caused by missing variables.
resultsAir pollution had a significantly negative effect on the cognitive abilities of older individuals (odds ratio [OR]: 1.4633; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.20899-1.77116). Different pollution intensities(only AQI value is greater than 200 or more) had apparent effects on cognitive impairment, with an OR of approximately 1.0. Sulfur dioxide had significantly negative effects on cognitive ability, with OR of 1.3802 (95% CI: 1.25779-1.51451). Furthermore, air pollution impact analysis showed heterogeneous results in terms of age, sex, education, and regional economic development level. In addition, social adaptability (calculated using social participation, learning, adaptability, and social support) not only had a significant positive effect on the cognitive abilities of older individuals, but also regulated the cognitive decline caused by air pollution.
conclusionsAir pollution affects cognitive impairment in older individuals, especially in those with lower education levels, and living in economically underdeveloped areas. This effect is synchronous and has a peak at an AQI of > 200.
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