Abstract
This study aims to identify the association between the concentration of particulate matter <2.5 μm (PM2.5), <10 μm (PM10), and ozone (O3) and frailty. The Korean Frailty Scale (KFS, 0–6 points) assessing physical, psychological, and social frailty, was applied to 2912 community-dwelling older adults between April 2016 and December 2017. Daily average concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, and O3 (2015–2017) were obtained and matched with the residential areas. The frailty risk associated with exposure to PM2.5, PM10, and O3 was evaluated using multiple logistic regression after adjusting for age, sex, BMI, lifestyle, socioeconomic status, and comorbidity. Participants were categorized into robust (0 points, 28.7%), pre-frail (1–2 points, 50.1%), and frail (≥3 points, 21.2%) groups. Each 1 μg/m3 increase of PM2.5 and PM10 increased the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of the frail group compared to the robust group: 1.055 (1.002, 1.112) and 1.095 (1.060, 1.131), and the pre-frail group: 1.053 (1.017, 1.090) and 1.062 (1.037, 1.087), respectively. Each 1-ppb increase of O3 increased the OR (95% CI) of the frail group: 1.041 (1.023, 1.059) and the pre-frail group: 1.005 (0.985, 1.025). PM2.5, PM10, and O3 may be associated dose-dependently with the frailty.
Highlights
Frailty Related to the Exposure to Particulate Matter and Ozone: The Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study
We found a positive association between PM2.5 and frailty in Model 1; the characteristics and collinearity of other related factors must be considered in the association between pollutants and frailty
We found a positive association between the concentration of PM ≤ 10 μm (PM10) and income level in our study
Summary
Frailty Related to the Exposure to Particulate Matter and Ozone: The Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study. Frailty is caused by aging-related functional declines. It confers a high risk of adverse health outcomes, such as hospitalization, difficulty performing activities of daily living (ADLs), poor quality of life, and early mortality [1,2,3,4]. In the air quality standards defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2005, particulate matter (PM) and ozone (O3 ) were the most harmful pollutants [7]. Air pollution exposure may affect the frailty of older adults, who are susceptible to its adverse effects by accelerating a failure of homeostatic mechanisms [13]. The association between frailty and air pollution is heterogeneous because few studies have examined that relationship
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