Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
Institute of Health Policy, Management & Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Toronto, Canada.
BMC Geriatr. 2023 Nov 27;23(1):777. doi: 10.1186/s12877-023-04466-0.
With a rapidly aging global population, the health of older adults is a national priority for countries across the world. Dusty weather has been demonstrated to be a potential risk factor of cognitive function among the elderly population. However, there is a paucity of studies exploring the associations between dusty weather and cognitive function among the older in China.
Data on individual characteristics were obtained from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey (CHARLS) 2018, whereas data on air pollution were sourced from environmental monitoring stations in China. Cognitive function, including general cognitive function, episodic memory, and linguistic competence, was assessed by self- or informant-questionnaires. We used propensity score matching and linear regression to investigate the relationship between dusty weather and cognitive function. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to test the robustness of the results.
This study included 8,604 participants older than 60 years old. After controlling air pollutant weather, dusty weather was demonstrated to be positively associated with a decline in cognitive function (Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE), 4.0, 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.11, 4.89; Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE), 0.63, 95% CI: 0.34, 0.92). Results of sensitivity analysis showed that our research findings are robust.
Older adults living in dusty weather regions suffered a higher level of cognitive impairment, and such adverse effects were more substantial among females compared with their male counterparts. Targeted health interventions to help older adults living in regions where dusty weather occurs frequently are suggested to be proposed.
随着全球人口的迅速老龄化，老年人的健康已成为世界各国的一项国家重点。多尘天气已被证明是老年人认知功能的一个潜在危险因素。然而，在中国，很少有研究探讨多尘天气与老年人认知功能之间的关系。
个体特征数据来自 2018 年中国健康与退休纵向研究（CHARLS），而空气污染数据来自中国的环境监测站。认知功能，包括总体认知功能、情景记忆和语言能力，通过自我或知情者问卷进行评估。我们使用倾向评分匹配和线性回归来研究多尘天气与认知功能之间的关系。进行敏感性分析以检验结果的稳健性。
这项研究包括 8604 名 60 岁以上的参与者。在控制了空气污染物天气后，多尘天气与认知功能下降呈正相关（老年认知衰退知情者问卷（IQCODE），4.0，95%置信区间（CI）：3.11，4.89；简易精神状态检查（MMSE），0.63，95%CI：0.34，0.92）。敏感性分析的结果表明，我们的研究结果是稳健的。
生活在多尘天气地区的老年人认知功能受损程度更高，女性比男性受到的不利影响更为显著。建议针对多尘天气频发地区的老年人群体，提出有针对性的健康干预措施。
