title: Fine particulate matter air pollution and cognitive function among U.S. older adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There is growing interest in understanding how exposures in the residential environment relate to cognitive function in older adults. The goal of this study is to determine if neighborhood-level exposure to fine particulate matter air pollution (PM2.5) is associated with cognitive function in a diverse, national sample of older U.S. adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  We use cross-sectional data on non-Hispanic black and white men and women aged 55 and older from the 2001/2002 Americans' Changing Lives Study (N = 780). EPA air monitoring data were linked to respondents using census tract identifiers. Cognitive function was assessed with tests of working memory and orientation. Negative binomial regression models were used to examine the association between PM2.5 and the number of errors on the cognitive assessment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Older adults living in areas with high concentrations of PM2.5 had an error rate 1.5 times greater than those exposed to lower concentrations, net of individual and neighborhood-level demographic and socioeconomic characteristics.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study adds to a growing body of research demonstrating the importance of air pollution to cognitive function in older adults. Improvements to air quality may be an important mechanism for reducing age-related cognitive decline.
authors.affiliation: Andrus Gerontology Center, School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles. ailshire@usc.edu.
authors.forename: Jennifer A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ailshire
authors.affiliation: Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
authors.forename: Philippa
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Clarke
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D052638:Particulate Matter
keywords: Cognition; Neighborhoods; Pollution.