Abstract
Human populations worldwide have experienced substantial environmental issues in part due to air pollution, notably in China. Gaps in the scientific literature remain regarding the relationship between air pollution and sedentary behavior among young adults in China. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of air pollution on sedentary behavior among college students living in Beijing, China. We conducted follow-up health surveys on 12,174 freshman students enrolled at Tsinghua University from 2013 to 2017. Sedentary behavior was measured using the short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Corresponding air pollution data measured by the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People’s Republic of China were collected to include the average hourly air quality index (AQI), PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 (µg/m³). The data were analyzed using linear individual fixed-effect regressions. An increase in air pollution concentration of one standard deviation in AQI, PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 was associated with an increase in weekly total hours of sedentary behavior by 7.35 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 5.89, 8.80), 6.24 (95% CI = 5.00, 7.49), 6.80 (95% CI = 5.46, 8.15), and 7.06 (95% CI = 5.65, 8.47), respectively. In the presence of air pollution, women students tended to increase their sedentary behavior more than men. Air pollution increases sedentary behavior among freshman students living in Beijing, China. Replication of this study is warranted among various populations within China.
Highlights
Exposure to air pollution in countries around the world has become a major health concern.Repeated evidence indicates that there are detrimental effects of air pollution on human health and health-related behavior
The purpose of the present study is to investigate the impacts of air pollution on Sedentary behavior (SB) among college students living in Beijing, China
Separate regressions were conducted for each outcome variable and based on samples stratified by gender; i.e., separate regressions were based on the entire sample with both genders, as well as male only and female only
Summary
Exposure to air pollution in countries around the world has become a major health concern. Repeated evidence indicates that there are detrimental effects of air pollution on human health and health-related behavior. The World Health Organization reported that approximately 4.2 million deaths occurred due to ambient air pollution in 2015 [1]. China has experienced rapid industrialization and urbanization, which has contributed to increased levels of air pollution. Air pollution is the combination of gases (NO2 ) with particulate matter particles of solid and/or liquid elements with a diameter of less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5 ) or 10 μm (PM10 ) [2].
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