Influence of Ambient Air Pollution on Television Use among Residents in Shanghai, China.

Abstract

We examined the impact of ambient air pollution on television use among residents in Shanghai, China. Device-measured daily average duration of television use from January 2014 to December 2016 was obtained from a random sample of 300 households, and was matched to air pollution and weather data. We used an autoregressive moving-average model to estimate the association between air quality index (AQI) and television use. There was a negative non-linear relationship between air pollution level and television use. Compared to the days when air quality was good (0≤AQI≤50), days with fair air quality (50<AQI≤100), light air pollution (100<AQI≤150), and moderate-to-severe air pollution (AQI>150) were associated with a reduction in daily average television use by 2.9 (p = .002), 4.6 (p < .001), and 1.9 (p = .369) minutes, respectively. Television use decreased with daytime temperature but increased on weekend days, holidays, and rainy days. Modest but not more severe air pollution was associated with reduced television use. People might mitigate the detrimental impact of air pollution by engaging in other indoor activities and/or sleeping.