Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Mar;70(2):322-8.
doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbu064. Epub 2014 Jun 6.

Fine particulate matter air pollution and cognitive function among U.S. older adults

Jennifer A Ailshire  1 , Philippa Clarke  2
Affiliations

Fine particulate matter air pollution and cognitive function among U.S. older adults

Jennifer A Ailshire et al. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2015 Mar.

Abstract

Objectives: 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.

Discussion: 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.

Keywords: Cognition; Neighborhoods; Pollution..

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Characteristics associated with count of cognitive errors in ACL (2001/2002) among respondents aged 55+. IRRs from weighted negative binomial regression of count of cognitive errors. References category is age 55–64, male, non-Hispanic white, HS+ education, HH income 35k+, married, zero functional limitations. ACL = Americans’ Changing Lives; HH = household; HS = high school; IRR = incident rate ratio.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Anderson H. R., Atkinson R. W., Bremner S. A., Marston L. (2003). Particulate air pollution and hospital admissions for cardiorespiratory diseases: are the elderly at greater risk? The European Respiratory Journal Supplement, 40, 39–46. :10.1183/09031936.03.00402203 - PubMed
    1. Aneshensel C. S., Ko M. J., Chodosh J., Wight R. G. (2011). The urban neighborhood and cognitive functioning in late middle age. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 52, 163–179. :10.1177/0022146510393974 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ash M., Fetter T. R. (2002). Who lives on the wrong side of the environmental tracks? Evidence from the EPA’s risk‐screening environmental indicators model. Social Science Quarterly, 85, 441–462. :10.1111/j.0038-4941.2004.08502011.x
    1. Ashford J., Kolm P., Colliver J., Bekian C., Hsu L.(1989). Alzheimer patient evaluation and the Mini-Mental State: Item characteristic curve analysis. Journal of Gerontology, 44, 139–146. :10.1093/geronj/44.5 - PubMed
    1. Cagney K. A., Lauderdale D. S. (2002). Education, wealth, and cognitive function in later life. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 57, 163–172. :10.1093/geronb/57.2.P163 - PubMed

Publication types

Substances