The association between ambient fine particulate air pollution and physical activity: a cohort study of university students living in Beijing

• Published in: The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity 2017-10, Vol.14 (1), p.136-136, Article 136
• Main Authors: Yu, Hongjun, Yu, Miao, Gordon, Shelby Paige, Zhang, Ruiling
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Air pollution; Air Pollution - adverse effects; Air Pollution - analysis; Air Pollution - statistics & numerical data; Asian Continental Ancestry Group; China; Cities; Cohort analysis; Cohort Studies; college students; confidence interval; Cross-Sectional Studies; Environmental aspects; Exercise; Exercise - physiology; Female; females; Fine particulate matter; Follow-Up Studies; Health aspects; health behavior; Health Behavior - drug effects; Health Behavior - physiology; Health Surveys; human health; Humans; income; issues and policy; Male; males; Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, youth; Mortality; Obesity; Outdoor air quality; Particulate matter; Particulate Matter - adverse effects; Particulate Matter - analysis; particulates; Physical activity; Physical fitness; statistical analysis; Students; United States; Universities; University students; Well being; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1479-5868; 1479-5868
• DOI: 10.1186/s12966-017-0592-x

Air pollution has become a substantial environmental issue affecting human health and health-related behavior in China. Physical activity is widely accepted as a method to promote health and well-being and is potentially influenced by air pollution. Previous population-based studies have focused on the impact of air pollution on physical activity in the U.S. using a cross-sectional survey method; however, few have examined the impact on middle income countries such as China using follow-up data. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of ambient fine particulate matter (PM ) air pollution on physical activity among freshmen students living in Beijing by use of follow-up data. We conducted 4 follow-up health surveys on 3445 freshmen students from Tsinghua University from 2012 to 2013 and 2480 freshmen completed all 4 surveys. Linear individual fixed-effect regressions were performed based on repeated-measure physical activity-related health behaviors and ambient PM concentrations among the follow-up participants. An increase in ambient PM concentration by one standard deviation (44.72 μg/m ) was associated with a reduction in 22.32 weekly minutes of vigorous physical activity (95% confidence interval [CI] = 24.88-19.77), a reduction in 10.63 weekly minutes of moderate physical activity (95% CI = 14.61-6.64), a reduction in 32.45 weekly minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) (95% CI = 37.63-27.28), and a reduction in 226.14 weekly physical activity MET-minute scores (95% CI = 256.06-196.21). The impact of ambient PM concentration on weekly total minutes of moderate physical activity tended to be greater among males than among females. Ambient PM air pollution significantly discouraged physical activity among Chinese freshmen students living in Beijing. Future studies are warranted to replicate study findings in other Chinese cities and universities, and policy interventions are urgently needed to reduce air pollution levels in China.