Ambient air pollution and the prevalence of obesity in chinese children: The seven northeastern cities study

Abstract

Objective: The association between air pollution and the prevalence of overweight and obesity is evaluated. Methods: The population consisted of 30,056 children (aged 2-14 years), randomly selected from 25 districts in Northeast China. Child weight and height were measured, and exposures to particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter 10 lm (PM 10 ), sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), nitrogen dioxides (NO 2 ), and Ozone (O 3 ) were estimated from the data collected at monitoring stations in the 25 districts. Using two-level logistic models, we examined the association between the exposure and the prevalence of overweight and obesity. Results: Among the study children, 12.3% (3,704) were overweight and 14.1% (4,233) were obese. After adjusting for confounding factors, an increased prevalence of obesity was associated with an interquartile range increase in PM 10 (31 lg/m 3 ; odds ratio [ORs] ¼ 1.19; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.11-1.26), SO 2 (7.4 ppb; ORs ¼ 1.11; 95% CI: 1.03-1.20), NO 2 (5.3 ppb; ORs ¼ 1.13; 95% CI: 1.04-1.22), and O 3 (11.5 ppb; ORs ¼ 1.14; 95% CI: 1.04-1.24). Prevalence of overweight increased with an interquartile range increase in O 3 (11.5 ppb; ORs ¼ 1.09; 95% CI: 1.03-1.15). Conclusions: This study suggests that air pollution is positively associated with an increased likelihood of obesity or overweight in children.

Sex-specific difference of the association between ambient air pollution and the prevalence of obesity in Chinese adults from a high pollution range area: 33 Communities Chinese Health Study

“…As noted previously (Dong et al, 2014), if g 1 is positive then prevalence rates of obesity are higher in districts with a higher pollutant level (controlling for other covariates). If g 1 is negative, however, the interpretation changes so that rates of obesity and being overweight are lower in districts with a higher pollutant level (holding constant possible confounders in the model).…”

“…Contingency tables and c 2 tests were used to calculate the association between categorical variables. In order to test the association between ambient air pollution levels and obesity indicators in adults, we implemented an analytical strategy similar to Dong et al (2014). Specifically, we calculated a two-level binary logistic regression model with adults comprising the first-level units and the districts they reside in comprising the second-level units.…”

“…Consistent with protocols developed by the World Health Organization (1995) and utilized in prior studies (Dong et al, 2013a(Dong et al, , 2014, height and weight were assessed by having participants stand with their back against the wall while wearing no shoes and their eyes looking straight ahead. Next, a right-angle triangle is then placed on top of the participant's head and against the wall, and their height is measured to the nearest 0.5 cm.…”

“…Well documented by scholars as of late has been an escalating global epidemic of obesity -"globesity"-which has increased dramatically across many parts of the world (Dong et al, 2014;International Association of Obesity, (2009) ;Lifshitz and Lifshitz 2014;Mitchell et al, 2011). Some have suggested that if recent secular trends continue unabated, by 2030 there would be approximately 2.16 billion overweight individuals and roughly 1.12 billion obese individuals (Kelly et al, 2008).…”

“…Dong et al (2014), analyzing a sample of Chinese children between the ages of 2 and 14 years old, provided evidence that exposure to a range of pollutants (including particulate matter, ozone, and sodium dioxide) was positively related to obesity even after adjusting for a host of possible confounders. Building on the work of these scholars, the 33 Communities Chinese Health Study (33CCHS) provides an additional and ideal opportunity to examine the association between air pollution exposure and obesity in Chinese adults in an area experiencing high levels of air pollution.…”