Dataset Information

The complex relationship of air pollution and neighborhood socioeconomic status and their association with cognitive decline.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Air pollution and neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES) have been shown to affect cognitive decline in older adults. In previous studies, nSES acts as both a confounder and an effect modifier between air pollution and cognitive decline.

Objectives

This study aims to examine the individual and joint effects of air pollution and nSES on cognitive decline on adults 50 years and older in Metro Atlanta, USA.

Methods

Perceived memory and cognitive decline was assessed in 11,897 participants aged 50+ years from the Emory Healthy Aging Study (EHAS) using the cognitive function instrument (CFI). Three-year average air pollution concentrations for 12 pollutants and 16 nSES characteristics were matched to participants using census tracts. Individual exposure linear regression and LASSO models explore individual exposure effects. Environmental mixture modeling methods including, self-organizing maps (SOM), Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR), and quantile-based G-computation explore joint effects, and effect modification between air pollutants and nSES characteristics on cognitive decline.

Results

Participants living in areas with higher air pollution concentrations and lower nSES experienced higher CFI scores (beta: 0.121; 95 % CI: 0.076, 0.167) compared to participants living in areas with low air pollution and high nSES. Additionally, the BKMR model showed a significant overall mixture effect on cognitive decline, suggesting synergy between air pollution and nSES. These joint effects explain protective effects observed in single-pollutant linear regression models, even after adjustment for confounding by nSES (e.g., an IQR increase in CO was associated with a 0.038-point lower (95 % CI: -0.06, -0.01) CFI score).

Discussion

Observed protective effects of single air pollutants on cognitive decline can be explained by joint effects and effect modification of air pollutants and nSES. Researchers must consider nSES as an effect modifier if not a co-exposure to better understand the complex relationships between air pollution and nSES in urban settings.

SUBMITTER: Christensen GM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9382679 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

The complex relationship of air pollution and neighborhood socioeconomic status and their association with cognitive decline.

Christensen Grace M GM Li Zhenjiang Z Pearce John J Marcus Michele M Lah James J JJ Waller Lance A LA Ebelt Stefanie S Hüls Anke A

Environment international 20220716

<h4>Background</h4>Air pollution and neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES) have been shown to affect cognitive decline in older adults. In previous studies, nSES acts as both a confounder and an effect modifier between air pollution and cognitive decline.<h4>Objectives</h4>This study aims to examine the individual and joint effects of air pollution and nSES on cognitive decline on adults 50 years and older in Metro Atlanta, USA.<h4>Methods</h4>Perceived memory and cognitive decline was assess ...[more]

PMID: 35868076

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Project description:BackgroundLong-term fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure is linked with cardiovascular disease, and disadvantaged status may increase susceptibility to air pollution-related health effects. In addition, there are concerns that this association may be partially explained by confounding by socioeconomic status (SES).ObjectivesWe examined the roles that individual- and neighborhood-level SES (NSES) play in the association between PM2.5 exposure and cardiovascular disease.MethodsThe study population comprised 51,754 postmenopausal women from the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study. PM2.5 concentrations were predicted at participant residences using fine-scale regionalized universal kriging models. We assessed individual-level SES and NSES (Census-tract level) across several SES domains including education, occupation, and income/wealth, as well as through an NSES score, which captures several important dimensions of SES. Cox proportional-hazards regression adjusted for SES factors and other covariates to determine the risk of a first cardiovascular event.ResultsA 5 ?g/m3 higher exposure to PM2.5 was associated with a 13% increased risk of cardiovascular event [hazard ratio (HR) 1.13; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02, 1.26]. Adjustment for SES factors did not meaningfully affect the risk estimate. Higher risk estimates were observed among participants living in low-SES neighborhoods. The most and least disadvantaged quartiles of the NSES score had HRs of 1.39 (95% CI: 1.21, 1.61) and 0.90 (95% CI: 0.72, 1.07), respectively.ConclusionsWomen with lower NSES may be more susceptible to air pollution-related health effects. The association between air pollution and cardiovascular disease was not explained by confounding from individual-level SES or NSES. Citation: Chi GC, Hajat A, Bird CE, Cullen MR, Griffin BA, Miller KA, Shih RA, Stefanick ML, Vedal S, Whitsel EA, Kaufman JD. 2016. Individual and neighborhood socioeconomic status and the association between air pollution and cardiovascular disease. Environ Health Perspect 124:1840-1847;?http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/EHP199.

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Dataset Information

The complex relationship of air pollution and neighborhood socioeconomic status and their association with cognitive decline.

Background

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Publications

The complex relationship of air pollution and neighborhood socioeconomic status and their association with cognitive decline.

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