Population Studies Division, Health Canada, 101 Tunney's Pasture Driveway, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0K9, Canada.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2019 Aug;26(24):24357-24361. doi: 10.1007/s11356-019-05741-7. Epub 2019 Jun 22.
Through a variety of media formats, the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) has served as a valuable communication tool for the general Canadian population for several years. This index, calculated and communicated to the public on an hourly basis, is designed to provide important information on the impact of air quality on health. This presentation outlines the association between AQHI values and, for the first time, all-cause emergency department (ED) visits (over one million diagnosed ED visits). It is assumed that a higher AQHI value, reflecting increased health risk, will encourage people to take steps to reduce their exposure, by limiting the duration and intensity of outdoor activity. The case-crossover methodology was used to assess the associations between the considered exposure and ED visits. The results, the estimated odds ratios, are presented as non-linear concentration-response functions. We argue that air health effects, measured as the total number of all-cause ED visits, are related to the values of the AQHI. We postulate that there are differences in this association between males and females, possibly due to gender-specific behavior and/or health conditions.
通过多种媒体形式，空气质量健康指数（AQHI）多年来一直是加拿大普通民众的宝贵沟通工具。该指数是根据每小时的空气质量数据计算并向公众发布的，旨在提供有关空气质量对健康影响的重要信息。本报告概述了 AQHI 值与所有原因急诊就诊（超过 100 万次诊断性急诊就诊）之间的关联。人们认为，反映健康风险增加的更高 AQHI 值将鼓励人们通过限制户外活动的持续时间和强度来减少暴露。本研究使用病例交叉设计来评估考虑的暴露与 ED 就诊之间的关联。结果以非线性浓度-反应函数形式表示。我们认为，以所有原因 ED 就诊总数衡量的空气健康影响与 AQHI 值有关。我们假设，这种关联在男性和女性之间存在差异，可能是由于性别特异性行为和/或健康状况所致。
