Does physical activity attenuate the association between ambient PM and physical function?

BACKGROUND

Physical function (PF), such as muscle strength, performing daily activities, has gradually declined with the increase of age, causing the occurrence of disability and diseases burden. Air pollution exposure and physical activity (PA) were both linked to PF. We aimed to explore the individual and joint effects of particulate matter <2.5 μm (PM) and PA on PF.

METHODS

A total of 4537 participants and 12,011 observations aged ≥45 years old from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) cohort from 2011 to 2015 were included into the study. PF was assessed by a combined score of four tests, including grip strength, walking speed, sense of balance, and chair standing tests. Air pollution exposure data was from The ChinaHighAirPollutants (CHAP) dataset. The annual PM exposure for each individual was estimated based on county-level resident addresses. We estimated the volume of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) by quoting metabolic equivalent (MET). Multivariate linear model was conducted for baseline analysis, and linear mixed model with random participant intercepts was constructed for cohort longitudinal analysis.

RESULTS

PM was negatively associated with PF, while PA was positively associated with PF in baseline analysis. In cohort longitudinal analysis, a 10 μg/m increase in PM was associated to a 0.025 point (95 % CI: -0.047, -0.003) decrease in PF score, and a 10-MET-h/week increase in PA was related to a 0.004 point (95 % CI: 0.001, 0.008) increase in PF score. The association between PM and PF decreased by increased PA intensity, and PA reversed the detrimental effects between PM and PF.

CONCLUSION

PA attenuated the association of air pollution with PF at both high and low levels of air pollution, implying that PA may be an effective behavior to reduce the adverse effects of poor air quality on PF.