The impact of indoor air quality and contaminants on respiratory health of older people living in long-term care residences in Porto

Mendes, Ana; Papoila, Ana Luísa; Carreiro‐Martins, Pedro; Bonassi, Stefano; Caires, Iolanda; Palmeiro, Teresa; Aguiar, Lívia; Pereira, Cristiana; Neves, Paula; Mendes, Diana; Botelho, Maria Amália; Neuparth, Nuno; Teixeira, João Paulo

doi:10.1093/ageing/afv157

Cited by 39 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Further, self-reported poor health was significantly associated with poor thermal comfort as described by Ormandy and Ezratty (2012) and Mendes et al (2016). In our study, when applying the mixed effects models for testing the influence of winter season TC parameters in older individuals QoL, the results also provided evidence (although weak) that values of PMV within the comfort categories had higher values of QoL (domain 2-psychological health) compared with values of PMV outside the categories of thermal environment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 48%

The Influence of Thermal Comfort on the Quality of Life of Nursing Home Residents

Mendes

Papoila

Carreiro‐Martins

et al. 2017

Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A

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Thermal comfort (TC) parameters were measured in 130 rooms from nursing homes (NH), following ISO 7730:2005 in order to evaluate the influence of winter season TC indices on quality of life (QoL) in older individuals. Mean radiant temperature (mrT), predicted mean vote (PMV) and predicted percent of dissatisfied people (PPD) indices, and the respective measurement uncertainties were calculated using Monte Carlo Method. The WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire was conducted from September 2012 to April 2013, during the winter season TC sampling campaign. Winter PMV and PPD indices showed significant differences between seasons in median values for comfort. There were also significant differences between seasons for air temperature, air velocity, mrT, and relative humidity. The winter PMV index displayed a "slightly cool" [≤-1] to "cool" [≤-2] in thermal sensation scale [-3 to 3]. PPD index reflected this discomfort as evidenced by a high rate of predicted dissatisfied occupants (64%). The influence of winter season TC on older individual QoL results demonstrated that values of PMV above -0.7 had higher mean score of QoL (coefficient estimate: 11.13 units) compared with values of PMV below -0.7. These ﬁndings are of relevance to public health and may be useful for understanding NH indoor environment variables thus implementing preventive policies in terms of standards and guidelines for these susceptible populations.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 48%

The Influence of Thermal Comfort on the Quality of Life of Nursing Home Residents

Mendes

Papoila

Carreiro‐Martins

et al. 2017

Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A

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“…In addition to low-income populations, children, retired people and homemakers are all recognised as subgroups of the population who may spend more time in the home (Schweizer et al 2007). Acknowledgement of this has led to research examining indoor air pollution exposure in older populations across Europe (Bentayeb et al 2013(Bentayeb et al , 2015Mendes et al 2016) and the role of IAQ in childhood health is of growing interest in the UK (Holgate et al 2021).…”

Section: Low Ses Households Spend More Time At Homementioning

confidence: 99%

Systemic inequalities in indoor air pollution exposure in London, UK

Ferguson

Taylor

Shrubsole

et al. 2021

Buildings and Cities

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Deprived communities in many cities are exposed to higher levels of outdoor air pollution, and there is increasing evidence of similar disparities for indoor air pollution exposure. There is a need to understand the drivers for this exposure disparity in order to develop effective interventions aimed at improving population health and reducing health inequities. With a focus on London, UK, this paper assembles evidence to examine why indoor exposure to PM 2.5 , NO x and CO may disproportionately impact low-income groups. In particular, five factors are explored, namely: housing location and ambient outdoor levels of pollution; housing characteristics, including ventilation properties and internal sources of pollution; occupant behaviours; time spent indoors; and underlying health conditions. Evidence is drawn from various sources, including building physics models, modelled outdoor air pollution levels, time-activity surveys, housing stock surveys, geographical data, and peer-reviewed research. A systems framework is then proposed to integrate these factors, highlighting how exposure to high levels of indoor air pollution in low-income homes is in large part due to factors beyond the control of occupants, and is therefore an area of systemic inequality. POLICY RELEVANCEThere is increasing public and political awareness of the impact of air pollution on public health. Strong scientific evidence links exposure to air pollution with morbidity and mortality.

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“…There is very limited information on the contamination of surfaces and food in LTCFs [93][94][95]. A systematic review estimated that COVID-19 is not detectable on steel or plastic after seven days, glass after four days and wood after one day [96].…”

Section: Increasing the Use Of Medical Or Surgical Masks And Hand Hygiene To Reduce The Transmission Of Respiratory Virusesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reducing Morbidity and Mortality Rates from COVID-19, Influenza and Pneumococcal Illness in Nursing Homes and Long-Term Care Facilities by Vaccination and Comprehensive Infection Control Interventions

Thomas

2021

Geriatrics

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The COVID-19 pandemic identifies the problems of preventing respiratory illnesses in seniors, especially frail multimorbidity seniors in nursing homes and Long-Term Care Facilities (LCTFs). Medline and Embase were searched for nursing homes, long-term care facilities, respiratory tract infections, disease transmission, infection control, mortality, systematic reviews and meta-analyses. For seniors, there is strong evidence to vaccinate against influenza, SARS-CoV-2 and pneumococcal disease, and evidence is awaited for effectiveness against COVID-19 variants and when to revaccinate. There is strong evidence to promptly introduce comprehensive infection control interventions in LCFTs: no admissions from inpatient wards with COVID-19 patients; quarantine and monitor new admissions in single-patient rooms; screen residents, staff and visitors daily for temperature and symptoms; and staff work in only one home. Depending on the vaccination situation and the current risk situation, visiting restrictions and meals in the residents’ own rooms may be necessary, and reduce crowding with individual patient rooms. Regional LTCF administrators should closely monitor and provide staff and PPE resources. The CDC COVID-19 tool measures 33 infection control indicators. Hand washing, social distancing, PPE (gowns, gloves, masks, eye protection), enhanced cleaning of rooms and high-touch surfaces need comprehensive implementation while awaiting more studies at low risk of bias. Individual ventilation with HEPA filters for all patient and common rooms and hallways is needed.

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The impact of indoor air quality and contaminants on respiratory health of older people living in long-term care residences in Porto

Abstract: high levels of PM10 were associated with 3-fold odds of allergic rhinitis. No association was found between indoor air chemical and biological contaminants and respiratory symptoms.

Cited by 39 publications

References 25 publications

The Influence of Thermal Comfort on the Quality of Life of Nursing Home Residents

The Influence of Thermal Comfort on the Quality of Life of Nursing Home Residents

Systemic inequalities in indoor air pollution exposure in London, UK

Reducing Morbidity and Mortality Rates from COVID-19, Influenza and Pneumococcal Illness in Nursing Homes and Long-Term Care Facilities by Vaccination and Comprehensive Infection Control Interventions

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