Effects of air pollution on emergency room visits for mental disorders: risks and effect modification by comorbid physical disorders and personal characteristics
Emerging evidence suggests that exposure to ambient air pollution negatively impacts mental health. However, little is known about potential moderators of such effects, including pre-existing physical disorders and personal characteristics. This study investigated if the effects of daily changes in...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research: Health |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-5309/ad1f3f |
| _version_ | 1797338735778463744 |
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| author | Eun-hye Yoo John E Roberts Kai Chen |
| author_facet | Eun-hye Yoo John E Roberts Kai Chen |
| author_sort | Eun-hye Yoo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Emerging evidence suggests that exposure to ambient air pollution negatively impacts mental health. However, little is known about potential moderators of such effects, including pre-existing physical disorders and personal characteristics. This study investigated if the effects of daily changes in levels of air pollutants among individuals with mental disorders (MDs) vary depending on comorbid physical disorders, age, sex, or race/ethnicity. We used a time-stratified case-crossover design that compared the levels of PM _2.5 and NO _2 on days leading up to MD-related emergency room (ER) visits to levels on control days. The sample consisted of individuals with MDs for their primary diagnosis, including both patients with a second diagnosis and those without. We conducted a stratified analysis to examine potential effect modifications by individuals’ demographic characteristics (sex, age, and race/ethnicity) or a diagnosis of a physical disorder (cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and respiratory disease). We found that both PM _2.5 and NO _2 were significantly associated with ER visits for MDs. Per 10 µ g m ^−3 increase in daily PM _2.5 and per 10 ppb increase in NO _2 concentration were associated with 1.07% (95% CI: 0.81%, 1.34%) and 0.56% (95% CI: 0.42%, 0.69%) increase in ER visits for MDs, respectively. We also found significantly greater susceptibility among younger persons (below 18 years old), Black, and individuals with respiratory disease. Exposures to both PM _2.5 and NO _2 were significantly associated with ER visits for MDs, and these adverse effects were more pronounced among youth, Black and individuals with respiratory disease as a comorbid physical disorder. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T09:35:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-336e7e4aef6149cc84173dfc81c10a62 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2752-5309 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T09:35:35Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research: Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-336e7e4aef6149cc84173dfc81c10a622024-01-30T09:14:07ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research: Health2752-53092024-01-012202500110.1088/2752-5309/ad1f3fEffects of air pollution on emergency room visits for mental disorders: risks and effect modification by comorbid physical disorders and personal characteristicsEun-hye Yoo0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5057-2187John E Roberts1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3830-9807Kai Chen2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0164-1112Department of Geography, State University of New York at Buffalo , Buffalo, NY, United States of AmericaDepartment of Psychology, State University of New York at Buffalo , Buffalo, NY, United States of AmericaDepartment of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health , New Haven, CT, United States of AmericaEmerging evidence suggests that exposure to ambient air pollution negatively impacts mental health. However, little is known about potential moderators of such effects, including pre-existing physical disorders and personal characteristics. This study investigated if the effects of daily changes in levels of air pollutants among individuals with mental disorders (MDs) vary depending on comorbid physical disorders, age, sex, or race/ethnicity. We used a time-stratified case-crossover design that compared the levels of PM _2.5 and NO _2 on days leading up to MD-related emergency room (ER) visits to levels on control days. The sample consisted of individuals with MDs for their primary diagnosis, including both patients with a second diagnosis and those without. We conducted a stratified analysis to examine potential effect modifications by individuals’ demographic characteristics (sex, age, and race/ethnicity) or a diagnosis of a physical disorder (cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and respiratory disease). We found that both PM _2.5 and NO _2 were significantly associated with ER visits for MDs. Per 10 µ g m ^−3 increase in daily PM _2.5 and per 10 ppb increase in NO _2 concentration were associated with 1.07% (95% CI: 0.81%, 1.34%) and 0.56% (95% CI: 0.42%, 0.69%) increase in ER visits for MDs, respectively. We also found significantly greater susceptibility among younger persons (below 18 years old), Black, and individuals with respiratory disease. Exposures to both PM _2.5 and NO _2 were significantly associated with ER visits for MDs, and these adverse effects were more pronounced among youth, Black and individuals with respiratory disease as a comorbid physical disorder.https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-5309/ad1f3fmental disorders (MDs)short-term exposure to air pollutionemergency room (ER) visitscase-crossovercomorbidity |
| spellingShingle | Eun-hye Yoo John E Roberts Kai Chen Effects of air pollution on emergency room visits for mental disorders: risks and effect modification by comorbid physical disorders and personal characteristics Environmental Research: Health mental disorders (MDs) short-term exposure to air pollution emergency room (ER) visits case-crossover comorbidity |
| title | Effects of air pollution on emergency room visits for mental disorders: risks and effect modification by comorbid physical disorders and personal characteristics |
| title_full | Effects of air pollution on emergency room visits for mental disorders: risks and effect modification by comorbid physical disorders and personal characteristics |
| title_fullStr | Effects of air pollution on emergency room visits for mental disorders: risks and effect modification by comorbid physical disorders and personal characteristics |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of air pollution on emergency room visits for mental disorders: risks and effect modification by comorbid physical disorders and personal characteristics |
| title_short | Effects of air pollution on emergency room visits for mental disorders: risks and effect modification by comorbid physical disorders and personal characteristics |
| title_sort | effects of air pollution on emergency room visits for mental disorders risks and effect modification by comorbid physical disorders and personal characteristics |
| topic | mental disorders (MDs) short-term exposure to air pollution emergency room (ER) visits case-crossover comorbidity |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-5309/ad1f3f |
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