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Effects of air pollution and green spaces on impaired lung function in children: a case-control study

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Abstract

The occurrences of impaired lung function during childhood could substantially influence the health states of the respiratory system in adults. So, the effects of air pollution and green spaces on impaired lung function in children were investigated in this study. The lung function of each student was tested every year from 2015 to 2017 and the method of case-control study was applied. 2087 students aged from 9 to 11 years old of primary schools in Tianjin were ultimately included in this study. The method of propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to minimize the confounding bias and the conditional logistic regression model was carried out to evaluate the effects of indoor and outdoor environmental risk factors on the occurrences of impaired lung function in children. For every interquartile range (IQR) increase in the mixture of six air pollutants at the lag1, lag2, and lag3 periods, the risks of getting impaired lung function were increased by 53.4%, 34.7%, and 16.9%, respectively. The protective effect of greenness at lag2 period (odds ratios (OR)) = 0.022 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.008–0.035)) was stronger than that at lag1and lag3 periods, respectively. Separate and combined effects of most air pollutants at different lag periods exerted hazardous effects on the lung function of students. Exposure to greenness had protective effects on the lung health of children.

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Acknowledgements

We would also like to thank the language editing service provided by Xiaoyu Chen (Monash University, Australia).

Availability of data and materials

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

Jingwei Zhang: conceptualization, methodology, software, and writing-original draft preparation; Yuming Wang: data curation; Lihong Feng: visualization and investigation; Changchun Hou: Supervision and software; Qing Gu: validation, writing-reviewing and editing.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Qing Gu.

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We have verified consent from subjects participating in the study was received prior to conducting the study and provided written assurance that the study has been reviewed and approved by an accredited committee. The study was approved by the Committee on the Ethics of Tianjin Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (permit number: TJCDC0111).

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Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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Responsible Editor: Lotfi Aleya

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Zhang, J., Wang, Y., Feng, L. et al. Effects of air pollution and green spaces on impaired lung function in children: a case-control study. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 11907–11919 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-16554-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-16554-y

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