Air Pollution Exposure Tied to Higher Likelihood of Lost Independence Among Seniors

FRIDAY, July 12, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Traffic-related air pollution exposure may be associated with an increased likelihood of lost independence among older adults, according to a study published online June 28 in JAMA Network Open.

Boya Zhang, Ph.D., from the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor, and colleagues investigated associations between air pollution and loss of independence in later life. The analysis included data from 25,314 individuals (older than 50 years of age) participating in the Environmental Predictors of Cognitive Health and Aging study and the Health and Retirement Study (1998 to 2016).

The researchers found that overall, 39.4 percent of participants experienced lost independence during a mean follow-up of 10.2 years. Higher pollution exposure levels were associated with increased risks for lost independence for total particulate matter <2.5 μm in diameter ([PM_2.5 levels]; risk ratio [RR] per 1-interquartile range [IQR] of 10-year mean, 1.05), PM_2.5 levels from road traffic (RR per 1-IQR of 10-year mean, 1.09) and nonroad traffic (RR per 1-IQR of 10-year mean, 1.13), and nitrogen dioxide levels (RR per 1-IQR of 10-year mean, 1.05). Traffic-generated pollutants were most consistently and robustly associated with loss of independence. Associations for other pollutant outcomes were null, except for ozone levels, which were associated with lower risks for lost independence (RR per 1-IQR increase of 10-year mean concentration, 0.94).

“These findings suggest that controlling air pollution could be associated with diversion or delay of the need for care and prolonged ability to live independently,” the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text