He Jiaxin, Liu Ke, He Zhiyu
International Business School, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
Physical Education and Sports Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
Front Public Health. 2025 Mar 24;13:1428820. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1428820. eCollection 2025.
Air pollution, particularly particulate matter (PM/PM), poses a significant environmental health threat in urban China. While previous research has primarily focused on older adult populations, the impact of air pollution on college students-an important yet underexplored demographic-remains largely unclear. This study investigates the effects of air pollutants on physical fitness and lung function among students at a university in Xi'an, a city known for its persistent air quality challenges.
We used longitudinal physical examination data (2019-2022) from 21,580 college students to perform empirical correlation regression and kernel density estimation. Trends in physical fitness and vital capacity scores were analyzed alongside air quality indicators (AQI, PM, PM, CO). A mixed cross-sectional econometric model controlled for individual characteristics such as height (mean = 170.66 cm, SD = 8.37), weight (mean = 64.94 kg, SD = 13.40), gender (mean = 0.313, SD = 0.464), and environmental factors such as temperature, wind speed, and green coverage (mean = 41.22, SD = 1.45). Physical fitness scores exhibited high variability (SD = 9.62, range = 10.2-109).
Air pollution was significantly associated with a reduction in physical fitness scores. A 1-unit increase in the AQI was linked to a 0.1094-unit decline in fitness scores ( < 0.01). The negative effect was further amplified by PM ( = -0.2643) and CO (β = -11.5438). Senior students, especially females, showed increased vulnerability to the adverse effects of pollution. Trends in lung capacity mirrored those in physical fitness, with outliers suggesting individual susceptibility. Notably, reduced green coverage was found to mediate 22% of the health impact of pollution ( < 0.05).
This study highlights the disproportionate health impact of air pollution on college students, emphasizing the need for policies that focus on reducing emissions, expanding campus greenery, and promoting health education. Future research should incorporate individual fixed effects and broaden the study to include a wider range of regions and universities.
空气污染，尤其是颗粒物（PM/PM），对中国城市的环境健康构成了重大威胁。尽管先前的研究主要集中在老年人群体，但空气污染对大学生这一重要却未得到充分研究的人群的影响在很大程度上仍不清楚。本研究调查了空气污染物对西安一所大学学生的身体素质和肺功能的影响，西安是一个空气质量长期面临挑战的城市。
我们使用了来自21580名大学生的纵向体检数据（2019 - 2022年）进行实证相关回归和核密度估计。将身体素质和肺活量得分的趋势与空气质量指标（AQI、PM、PM、CO）一起进行分析。采用混合横截面计量模型控制个体特征，如身高（均值 = 170.66厘米，标准差 = 8.37）、体重（均值 = 64.94千克，标准差 = 13.40）、性别（均值 = 0.313，标准差 = 0.464）以及环境因素，如温度、风速和绿化覆盖率（均值 = 41.22，标准差 = 1.45）。身体素质得分表现出高度变异性（标准差 = 9.62，范围 = 10.2 - 109）。
空气污染与身体素质得分的降低显著相关。AQI每增加1个单位，与身体素质得分下降0.1094个单位相关联（<0.01）。PM（ = -0.2643）和CO（β = -11.5438）进一步放大了这种负面影响。高年级学生，尤其是女生，对污染的不利影响表现出更高的易感性。肺容量趋势与身体素质趋势相似，异常值表明个体易感性。值得注意的是，绿化覆盖率的降低被发现介导了污染对健康影响的22%（<0.05）。
本研究强调了空气污染对大学生健康的不成比例影响，强调需要制定侧重于减少排放、扩大校园绿化和促进健康教育的政策。未来的研究应纳入个体固定效应，并将研究范围扩大到包括更广泛的地区和大学。
