Exposure to PM2.5 and Obesity Prevalence in the Greater Mexico City Area.

Marcela Tamayo-Ortiz,Itai Kloog,Stephen J Rothenberg,Horacio Riojas-Rodriguez,José Luis Texcalac-Sangrador,Luis F Bautista-Arredondo,Joel Schwartz,Martha María Téllez-Rojo,Allan Carpenter Just,Robert O Wright,Martin Romero-Martinez,Ivan Gutiérrez-Avila

doi:10.3390/ijerph18052301

Abstract

Exposure to PM2.5 has been associated with the prevalence of obesity. In the Greater Mexico City Area (GMCA), both are ranked among the highest in the world. Our aim was to analyze this association in children, adolescents, and adults in the GMCA. We used data from the 2006 and 2012 Mexican National Surveys of Health and Nutrition (ENSANUT). Participants’ past-year exposure to ambient PM2.5 was assessed using land use terms and satellite-derived aerosol optical depth estimates; weight and height were measured. We used survey-adjusted logistic regression models to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) of obesity (vs. normal-overweight) for every 10 µg/m3 increase in annual PM2.5 exposure for children, adolescents, and adults. Using a meta-analysis approach, we estimated the overall odds of obesity. We analyzed data representing 19.3 million and 20.9 million GMCA individuals from ENSANUT 2006 and 2012, respectively. The overall pooled estimate between PM2.5 exposure and obesity was OR = 1.96 (95% CI: 1.21, 3.18). For adolescents, a 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 was associated with an OR of 3.53 (95% CI: 1.45, 8.58) and 3.79 (95% CI: 1.40, 10.24) in 2006 and 2012, respectively. More studies such as this are recommended in Latin American cities with similar air pollution and obesity conditions.

Highlights

Expanding the epidemiologic evidence linking PM2.5 exposure to adverse health outcomes is key for advancing public health policies and regulations to improve air quality and preventing disease worldwide, such as the obesity epidemic
A total of 4368 and 4521 persons participated in the ENSANUT 2006 and 2012 surveys representing 19.4 and 21 million inhabitants of the Greater Mexico City Area (GMCA), respectively
While the prevalence of normal weight was similar between surveys, we saw a decrease in overweight and an increase in obesity prevalence for all age groups in the 2012 sample

Summary

Introduction

Expanding the epidemiologic evidence linking PM2.5 exposure to adverse health outcomes is key for advancing public health policies and regulations to improve air quality and preventing disease worldwide, such as the obesity epidemic. Between 1975 and 2014, the prevalence of obesity in adults worldwide increased from 3.2% (2.4–4.1) to 10.8% (9.7–12.0). Once considered a high-income country problem, we know that obesity affects low- and middle-income countries [2], and it is becoming more prevalent at younger ages. According to the Mexican National Survey of Health and Nutrition (ENSANUT), in 2018, the combined prevalence of overweight and obesity in children (5 to 11 years-old), adolescents 19 years-old), and adults (≥20 years-old) were 35.6%, 38.4%, and 75.2%, respectively [3].

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion