Abstract

The effects of air pollutants on psychological health have attracted increasing attention worldwide. However, there is limited evidence on the association between air pollution and children's psychological development. This study explores the association between short- and long-term exposures to air pollutants and children's internalizing and externalizing behaviors. A total of 2303 children of 4-7years were included in this study. We assessed their behavior using the Child Behavior Checklist (4-16years). The prevalence of internalizing and externalizing behavior was 4.77% and 4.43%, respectively. For short-term exposure, CO pollution was associated with children's internalizing behaviors, with each 1mg/m3 increment leading to an odds ratio (OR) of 1.063 (95% CI 1.005, 1.124), 1.065 (95% CI 1.009, 1.124), 1.067 (95% CI 1.007, 1.131), and 1.122 (95% CI 1.018, 1.236) at lag04, lag05, lag06, and lag0120, respectively. O3 (per 1g[Formula: see text]/m3) was negatively associated with internalizing problems at lag2 [OR = 0.991 (95% CI 0.983, 0.999)]. NO2 (per 1g[Formula: see text]/m3) was significantly associated with externalizing behaviors, with the ORs of 1.067 (95% CI 1.024, 1.111) at lag060 and 1.060 (95% CI 1.010, 1.113) at lag0120. For long-term exposure, it indicated that 1-year exposure to CO (per 1mg/m3) and PM2.5 (per 1g[Formula: see text]/m3) was positively associated with internalizing behavioral risk [OR = 1.724 (95% CI 1.187, 2.504); PM2.5: OR = 1.236 (95% CI 1.114, 1.371)], whereas NO2 (per 1g[Formula: see text]/m3) exposure was associated with an increased risk of externalizing behavior [OR = 1.123 (95% CI 1.003, 1.256)]. In addition, the interaction analysis showed that boys were at a higher risk of abnormal behaviors associated with long-term exposure to CO, PM2.5, and NO2. Our findings reveal a potential link between air pollution exposure and abnormal behaviors in kindergarten children after short-/long-term exposure, which is an essential supplement to the studies on the association between air pollution and children's behavioral problems.

Full Text
Paper version not known

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.