Association of Air Quality Improvement and Frailty Progression: A National Study across China
Mingqin Liu,
Mohammed Zeeshan,
Tiantian Sun,
Xiangming Hu,
Zhiqiang Nie,
Haojian Dong,
Guanghui Dong,
Yanqiu Ou
Affiliations
Mingqin Liu
Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou 510080, China
Mohammed Zeeshan
Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
Tiantian Sun
Department of Hematology, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518000, China
Xiangming Hu
Department of Cardiology, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510080, China
Zhiqiang Nie
Department of Cardiology, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510080, China
Haojian Dong
Department of Cardiology, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510080, China
Guanghui Dong
Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Environmental Pollution and Health Risk Assessment, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
Yanqiu Ou
Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou 510080, China
Accumulating evidence strongly suggests that exposure to ambient air pollution is linked with increased frailty. However, little is known about the effect of improved air quality on frailty progression. We aimed to investigate whether improvements in air quality (PM1, PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and O3) can alleviate frailty progression, particularly in the aftermath of implementation of the “Clean Air Action” policy in China. The study involved 12,891 participants with geocoded environmental data from the nationwide China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) during the period from May 2011 to August 2015. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze the association of air pollution improvements and frailty progression. The protective effects were noted for PM1, PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 indices, with an aOR (adjusted odds ratio) ranging from 0.72 to 0.79. Air quality improvement in PM1, PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 could alleviate the progression of frailty. The study is the first to examine the association between the improvement of air quality and the progression of frailty, setting a precedent for the importance of a nationwide clean air policy and its impact on healthy ageing.
