Association between ambient air pollution and health-related quality of life in Japan: ecological study.
To assess the association between air pollution and health-related quality of life (HRQOL), we performed an ecological study by a two-stage stratified random sampling of the Japanese general population. A total of 3395 subjects, aged 16 and older, filled out questionnaires, including the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36). Air pollutants examined in this study were nitrogen oxides (NOx) and suspended particulate matter (SPM). We used analysis of covariance to estimate the mean differences for each SF-36 domain among four groups categorized according to concentrations of air pollutants to which they were exposed. We observed a significant linear trend of a lower 'vitality' domain score in the SF-36 in groups exposed to higher concentrations of NOx (p = 0.013). The results of the present study are important for, and needed by, public health policy makers, because assessing the health effects of air pollution by measuring the HRQOL would provide a new method for formulating air pollution policies.
Yamazaki
Shin
S
Epidemiology and Exposure Assessment Section, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba 305-8506, Japan. yamazaki.shin@nies.go.jp
Nitta
Hiroshi
H
Murakami
Yoshitaka
Y
Fukuhara
Shunichi
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009589:Nitrogen Oxides / Q000009:adverse effects; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D000393:Air Pollutants; D009589:Nitrogen Oxides